General Gaming Article

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• Hey Look, Windows Phone Store Now Features Over 300,000 Apps
• Moving On: Microsoft Confirms No More Major Updates for Windows 8
• Heads Up: EA Tosses Battlefield 4 on Game Time, Play Free for a Week
• IBM Develops Neurosynaptic Chip, Functions Like the Human Brain
• Zotac Starts Shipping Zbox Plus Systems with Windows 8.1 and Bing in Tow
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 760 Graphics Card, Intel Core i5 4430 Haswell, and More!

Hey Look, Windows Phone Store Now Features Over 300,000 Apps Posted: 08 Aug 2014 10:55 AM PDT Windows Phone Store is growing up In case you haven't been paying attention, the Windows Phone Store is growing and expanding into a legitimate contender right before our very eyes. By Microsoft's count, the Windows Phone Store now boasts over 300,000 apps and games, with over 2 billion app downloads to date. Sure, that's only a fraction of the available apps on Android and iOS, but it's a big fraction. For the sake of comparison, Android is home to over 1 million apps and 50 billion downloads to date, while iOS has over 1.2 million apps and can brag about serving up 75 billion downloads in the past 6 years. Judged by itself, Microsoft's Windows Phone Store is doing just fine and growing at a decent clip -- back in December 2013, it had 200,000 apps, so it's added 100,000 in the past 8 months. Not too shabby. Despite the number of apps and downloads, Microsoft has its work cut out in the mobile space. At last count, comScore pegged the Windows Phone platform as having a 3.4 percent share of the smartphone market in the U.S., versus 52.1 percent for Android and 41.9 percent for iOS. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Moving On: Microsoft Confirms No More Major Updates for Windows 8 Posted: 08 Aug 2014 10:30 AM PDT Bring on Windows 9! As Kenny Rogers famously advised a legion of country music fans, "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, known when to run." Microsoft isn't quite to the point of running away from Windows 8, though it is ready to walk away from putting time and resources into major updates. There will be no Windows 8.1 Update 2, which seemingly suggest Microsoft is now looking ahead to Windows 9. Microsoft tried to address consumer complaints in Windows 8 with Windows 8.1, and then again with its first major update for Windows 8.1. However, Windows 8/8.1 isn't grabbing market share the way Microsoft hoped it would, even with Windows XP taken behind the shed. That reality must have finally hit Microsoft like a ton of bricks, and now the firm is changing gears -- rather than release another major update to Windows 8.1, it's going to add any upcoming changes to its monthly update schedule, better known as Patch Tuesday. "Rather than waiting for months and bundling together a bunch of improvements into a larger update as we did for the Windows 8.1 Update, customers can expect that we'll use our already existing monthly update process to deliver more frequent improvements along with the security updates normally provided as part of 'Update Tuesday.' So despite rumors and speculation, we are not planning to deliver a Windows 8.1 'Update 2,'" Microsoft stated in a blog post. That means the next truly major update to Windows will be a brand new version. It's currently codenamed Threshold and is expected to be called Windows 9. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Heads Up: EA Tosses Battlefield 4 on Game Time, Play Free for a Week Posted: 08 Aug 2014 10:08 AM PDT Try BF4 free for up to a week Have you heard both good and bad things about Battlefield 4 and now can't decide if you want to grab a copy? Don't sweat it -- Electronic Arts just made BF4 its newest "Game Time" title, meaning you can play the full version for free for a limited time (up to 7 days in this case). Yes, that entails going through Origin, EA's digital distribution platform, but if you're okay with that, you can download the title and hop right into the action. "Go ahead and try it on. Take a bite. Look under the hood. This is the full game so check out every feature and every option, and play for as long as the Game Time clock runs," EA says. If you play out the full week (or just a portion) and decide to buy the game, your progress will be saved so you can pick up right where you left off, EA says. Not your cup of tea? EA is also serving up Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning on Game Time, giving you 48 hours of free play time. You can find out more information about either one by going here. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

IBM Develops Neurosynaptic Chip, Functions Like the Human Brain Posted: 08 Aug 2014 09:42 AM PDT New chips boasts 1 million neurons and 256 million synapses The human brain is a complex thing. So are computer chips, though we have a much better understanding of the latter than the former. By somewhat combining the two, scientists from IBM have developed the first neurosynaptic computer chip to achieve an unprecedented scale of 1 million programmable neurons, 256 million programmable synapses, and 46 billion synaptic operations per second. IBM's SyNAPSE chip has 5.4 billion transistors, is a fully functional and production sclae part, and currently one of the largest CMOS chips ever built, though it only only consumes a scant 70mW, which is orders of magnitudes less than a modern processor, the company said. SyNAPSE was built around a cognitive chip architecture with an on-chip-two-dimensional mesh network of 4,096 digital, distributed neurosynaptic cores, where each core module integrates memory, computation, and communication. It operates in an event-driven, parallel, and fault-tolerant fashion. "IBM has broken new ground in the field of brain-inspired computers, in terms of a radically new architecture, unprecedented scale, unparalleled power/area/speed efficiency, boundless scalability, and innovative design techniques. We foresee new generations of information technology systems – that complement today's von Neumann machines – powered by an evolving ecosystem of systems, software, and services," said Dr. Dharmendra S. Modha, IBM Fellow and IBM Chief Scientist, Brain-Inspired Computing, IBM Research. "These brain-inspired chips could transform mobility, via sensory and intelligent applications that can fit in the palm of your hand but without the need for Wi-Fi." The chip was fabricated using Samsung's 28nm process technology with dense on-chip memory and low-leakage transistors. Looking ahead, IBM hopes to integrate multi-sensory neurosynaptic processing into mobile devices constrained by power, volume, and speed. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Zotac Starts Shipping Zbox Plus Systems with Windows 8.1 and Bing in Tow Posted: 08 Aug 2014 08:22 AM PDT Windows 8.1 joins the mini PC party at Zotac One thing you always had to account for when purchasing a Zbox or any other pint-sized system from Zotac was that you''d have to install an operating system. That entailed plugging in a USB optical drive or using a flash memory stick, or at least it used to. In a change of pace, Zotac has made available four different Zbox Plus systems pre-installed with Windows 8.1 with Bing. "Users requested we include Microsoft Windows with the Zbox mini PCs so the system is ready to use right off the shelf," says Tony Wong, CEO of Zotac International. "We've been listening and thanks to Microsoft's introduction of Windows 8.1 with Bing, we're able to give buyers the full Windows experience in a mini PC form factor at an excellent value." There are four different models that come with Windows 8.1. They include the Zbox CI320 Nano, CA320 Nano, BI320, and ID18. Each of them come with 2GB of DDR3 memory and a 64GB solid state drive. Other specs vary by system, including processor, graphics, and amenities like Wi-Fi and connectivity options. The inclusion of an SSD for storage is big here. In our experience, Zbox systems are sometimes held back by slow spinning hard drives, though all four models referenced above should feel relatively peppy. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 760 Graphics Card, Intel Core i5 4430 Haswell, and More! Posted: 08 Aug 2014 06:35 AM PDT Top Deal: We think it's groovy that today's processors come with integrated graphics -- that's one less expense for mom and pop, neither of which play games. That's an important qualifier, because if you do fancy yourself a game player, integrated graphics will never do. You need to bite the bullet and get a dedicated card. Need a suggestion? Check out today's top deal for an Asus GeForce GTX 760 Graphics Card for $220 with free shipping (normally $250 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC36]; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). It's a relatively fast graphics card that keeps it cool via Asus's DirectCU II custom cooling solution. Other Deals: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 2.5-inch 480GB SATA III 7mm Internal Solid State Drive for $180 with free shipping (normally $185 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC28]) Intel Core i5-4430 Haswell Quad-Core 3.0GHz LGA 1150 84W Desktop Processor for $180 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC29]) Seagate Constellation 1TB 7200 RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Enterprise Internal Hard Drive for $90 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC33]) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory for $150 with free shipping (normally $160 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC43])

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MMO Updates

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• Working As Intended: The unfortunate conflation of sandboxes and PvP
• TV producer looking for couples who met in MMOs
• Now you can get paid for making War Thunder content
• Darkfall adds siege engines, ladders, higher walls, and more
• The Daily Grind: What's the best MMO housing system of all time?
• Landmark: Guilds are a go!
• The Think Tank: Predicting the launch of Warlords of Draenor
• Albion Online offers a new gameplay trailer
• Das Tal jumps to Steam Greenlight
• RIFT addresses player auction house concerns
• Previewing Neverwinter's Tyranny of Dragons module
• Firefall launches its referral program
• Build an inn or trading post in World of Warcraft's Spires of Arak zone
• Star Trek Online officially announces Delta Rising expansion
• Games of Glory gets additional funds, cancels Kickstarter
• Norrathian Notebook: How to improve your Landmark building skills

Working As Intended: The unfortunate conflation of sandboxes and PvP Posted: 08 Aug 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content, Working As Intended A certain perplexing belief about sandboxes pervades the blog comments, forums, and general chats of MMOs: All MMO sandboxes are free-for-all PvP games. If it doesn't have free-for-all PvP, it's by definition not a sandbox because sandboxes let the players make all the rules and decisions. Free-for-all PvP adds the necessary spice to keep you on your toes and keep a game fresh. Without it, you may as well be playing The Sims. All of these statements are wrong. Continue reading Working As Intended: The unfortunate conflation of sandboxes and PvP Working As Intended: The unfortunate conflation of sandboxes and PvP originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

TV producer looking for couples who met in MMOs Posted: 08 Aug 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items Back2Back Productions is looking for lovers who met in MMOs, according to a blurb at MCVUK. Founder David Notman-Watt told the website that a documentary featuring couples who met online and married in meatspace is currently filming and will air on a "major TV network." Notman-Watt says his firm is also searching out couples who've yet to connect offline. "It's fascinating to meet people whose relationships have blossomed as the line between roleplay and real life has become increasingly blurred." TV producer looking for couples who met in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MCVUK

Now you can get paid for making War Thunder content Posted: 08 Aug 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Business Models, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Player-Generated Content Want to make a little real-world money from your War Thunder addiction? Now you can thanks to Gaijin's newly announced revenue-sharing initiative. In April of 2014, the devs released the War Thunder CDK which allows users to make their own content in the form of missions, locations, and vehicle skins. If any of these creations are selected by Gaijin for inclusion in the game's 1.43 update, the authors "will receive reasonable reward." You can read a more detailed FAQ on the initiative at the game's official website. We've also embedded a video dev diary with more details after the break. Elsewhere in the War Thunder universe, Gaijin is running a "Summertime Madness" promotion this weekend that features bonus RP gains and 30 percent vehicle discounts. Continue reading Now you can get paid for making War Thunder content Now you can get paid for making War Thunder content originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Revenue sharing

Darkfall adds siege engines, ladders, higher walls, and more Posted: 08 Aug 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Sandbox Yesterday's Darkfall patch began the process of adding siege engine functionality to the world of Agon. Players can now use catapults with massive boulders and fiery projectiles, and Aventurine has also added siege ladders for scaling enemy walls. New Engineering Mastery crafting recipes are available, too, as are new resources and reinforced clan city walls. [Thanks Jane!] Darkfall adds siege engines, ladders, higher walls, and more originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Siege engine patch

The Daily Grind: What's the best MMO housing system of all time? Posted: 08 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Humor, Miscellaneous, Housing WildStar's floating palaces, Star Wars: The Old Republic's strongholds, World of Warcraft's garrisons, and Landmark's... well, everything... are getting a lot of press lately, maybe because the MMO industry has been starved for such content for so long. Few games implement housing after launch, and fewer still launch with housing ready to go; those that do seldom aspire to the heights reached by RIFT's dimensions, let alone the amazing customizable homes of older games like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies. So let's resurrect a Daily Grind topic we haven't tackled since 2010. Which MMO features or featured the best housing of all time? 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's the best MMO housing system of all time? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Landmark: Guilds are a go! Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Guilds, Patches, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Landmark It's a very special day for Landmark's community, as after a brief delay yesterday and today, SOE has finally activated guilds in the game. The new system interface allows for guild creation, news, roster, and administration options. The studio says that it deliberately kept the UI simple for this first draft and that it will be refining and adding onto the guild system in the future. Today's patch wasn't just about guilds, however. The team added in glass voxels, ice materials, multi-screenshot functionality for claims, dozens of new party-themed props, and PlanetSide 2 outfit tints. The patch also increased the claim upkeep advance payment to 15 days and synced up friends lists with Steam friends. Landmark: Guilds are a go! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch notes, Guilds are here

The Think Tank: Predicting the launch of Warlords of Draenor Posted: 07 Aug 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business Models, Launches, MMO Industry, Opinion, Subscription We teased Blizzard on Monday for announcing an announcement date for the release date for World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, but the truth is, even MMO players who don't play WoW are a little curious about when the expansion will release and how it might impact other MMOs we all play. That release date is what the Massively team is talking about today; we're issuing our predictions for launch date. Join us in the comments! Continue reading The Think Tank: Predicting the launch of Warlords of Draenor The Think Tank: Predicting the launch of Warlords of Draenor originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Albion Online offers a new gameplay trailer Posted: 07 Aug 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Sandbox Excited about Albion Online? Ambivalent about Albion Online? Never heard of Albion Online before this very moment whilst being extremely tired of this narrative device? Whichever category describes you, you can click on past the break to get a look at a new trailer for the game, showing just what players can expect once they load up the game. Albion Online boasts a variety of features including a player-driven economy, freeform progression, a lack of levels, and abilities defined by your choice of equipment. You can see some of it in action in the trailer; you can also support the game now to purchase alpha access and watch as the game moves through development. It's a cross-platform game designed for Windows, Macs, Android, Linux, and iOS devices. Continue reading Albion Online offers a new gameplay trailer Albion Online offers a new gameplay trailer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Das Tal jumps to Steam Greenlight Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, PvP, Sandbox It's a big week for the PvP sandbox Das Tal, as the title has hopped on board the good ship Steam Greenlight in the hope that it will gain more attention and support from the community. Das Tal has also finished up its first round of alpha tests in July, with more to come every Sunday in August. The team pieced together a video from the alpha to show off some of the title's looks and combat sequences. The devs stress that many of the graphics are using placeholder images, but if you can stomach that, you can get an early peek at the game after the jump. Continue reading Das Tal jumps to Steam Greenlight Das Tal jumps to Steam Greenlight originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steam Greenlight

RIFT addresses player auction house concerns Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT RIFT brought some major changes to its live servers yesterday, but one change wasn't mentioned in the patch notes and produced more than a little player irritation. Along with all of the other auction house changes, helpfully compiled by RIFTJunkies, the transaction cost was changed from a flat fee to a 5% scaling tax. That's kind of a big change if you're used to only having a minor hit whether the auction sells or not. According to the development team, this change will not be reversed, but modifications will be made to help make the shift feel less punishing to players. The goal is to both recover some money from the economy and cut down on unnecessary auctions for trivial sums. Players can expect to see a hotfix next week to make the taxes both lower and dependent upon the length of the auction; read the full auction house breakdown for more details as well as an in-depth look at the other changes. RIFT addresses player auction house concerns originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFTJunkies

Previewing Neverwinter's Tyranny of Dragons module Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter I'll give credit to the Neverwinter team for being straightforward and direct about its next module, Tyranny of Dragons: When the devs say "dragons," they aren't skimping on the premise whatsoever. Module 4 is dragons by the bucketful, shaping the tone and story of Neverwinter's present and future development. Earlier today, I sat down with Cryptic Art Director Matt Highison, who showed off Tyranny of Dragons' new content while talking about how dragons are just so, so cool. With other MMOs that I won't name creating expansions that are lacking in new races and classes, Neverwinter is bringing one of each to this update as well as a wealth of content for the players to explore. From randomized dungeons to the controversial pricing of the scaly Dragonborn, we hashed out the details behind August 14th's content release. Let's dive in! Continue reading Previewing Neverwinter's Tyranny of Dragons module Previewing Neverwinter's Tyranny of Dragons module originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Firefall launches its referral program Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, Free-to-Play, Promotions, Firefall Are you playing and enjoying Firefall? That's great, but if your friends aren't, the game might be just a little bit more lonely. You could abduct your friends and chain them in front of a computer with the game already loaded, but that seems a bit extreme, not to mention really illegal. Maybe you'd be better off just taking advantage of the game's referral program to drag your companions into the game. That's legal, and it offers some nice benefits. If you refer someone who creates an account, you get night vision goggles, as pictured above. Score one for you! Meanwhile, if said friend goes on to purchase some Red Bean, you both get 10 extra Red Beans. So if you have friends who aren't yet playing, send a mail and see if you can't get them to sign up after all. It's cheaper than buying chains and secondary computers, too. Firefall launches its referral program originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Referral Program

Build an inn or trading post in World of Warcraft's Spires of Arak zone Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Fantasy, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, PvE, Subscription Are you a fan of the arakkoa, World of Warcraft's avian humanoids? Blizzard Game Designer Don Adams and Associate Quest Designer Johnny Cash are betting you are, which is why they've brought back the sqwawking Burning Crusade beasties in Warlords of Draenor, complete with a "fancy new model." In a dev blog posted today, the duo discuss the Spires of Arak zone, in which the arakkoa aren't quite as evil as they later become in the BC timeline. Over the course of the zone, you're helping [a] shady resistance group of cursed arakkoa to make their final stand. You're learning about the curse they bear, the ancient gods of their land, and the very real threat posed by the Adherents of Rukhmar, the ruling caste of zealous arakkoa in Skyreach. Your adventure leads to two climactic events in the zone: one involving the plight of the outcasts against the flying arakkoa, and another focusing on the Shattered Hand fortress of Bladefist Hold. Of interest is Cash's note that players can choose to "construct an Inn to help [them] house more soldiers and supplies or a Trading Post to establish trade agreements with friendly locals," thereby unlocking unique questlines and gaining access to special perks in the zone, like quicker hearthing and easier access to rested experience. Build an inn or trading post in World of Warcraft's Spires of Arak zone originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev blog

Star Trek Online officially announces Delta Rising expansion Posted: 07 Aug 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play While we heard word of Star Trek Online's second expansion out of the recent Star Trek Las Vegas convention, today Cryptic has made it official. Star Trek Online: Delta Rising is on its way to the game, bringing with it exploration into the Delta Quadrant. The expansion will raise the level cap to 60, allow for captain specializations, and add new technology and new starships. Some of the Star Trek: Voyager cast will reprise their roles for the game, starting with Garrett Wang. "In Delta Rising, enterprising captains are sent to explore the Delta Quadrant, joining forces with and opposing the efforts of well-known species seen on Star Trek: Voyager, such as the Talaxians and Kazon, as well as lesser known species," Cryptic posted. "A lot has changed in these sectors in the 30 years since Kathryn Janeway captained the Voyager through this region of space. With a portal recently discovered within the Dyson sphere providing a quick path to the quadrant, many vessels are being sent to explore the region." You can watch the official STLV announcement video after the break! Continue reading Star Trek Online officially announces Delta Rising expansion Star Trek Online officially announces Delta Rising expansion originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcing Delta Rising

Games of Glory gets additional funds, cancels Kickstarter Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, MOBA, Crowdfunding Games of Glory, the sci-fi MOBA with persistent world designs, has canceled its Kickstarter campaign. Don't fret, though, because Lightbulb Crew has secured additional funding from existing investors, according to today's press blurb. You can vote for the title on Steam Greenlight and view the full announcement after the break. [Source: Lightbulb Crew press release] Continue reading Games of Glory gets additional funds, cancels Kickstarter Games of Glory gets additional funds, cancels Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Norrathian Notebook: How to improve your Landmark building skills Posted: 07 Aug 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Free-to-Play, Guides, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content, Norrathian Notebook, Landmark What goes through your mind when you come across show-stopping Landmark builds? Do you just admire them, or do they also pierce your confidence and remind you of your own less-than-phenomenal skills? Some folks see another player's masterpiece and are inspired. while others get discouraged. Don't let it discourage you! Previously, I offered a few hints on how to avoid discouragement; remember, it's perfectly natural and OK to not have uber building skills. Besides that, you don't even have to build because when all is said and done (and released), there will be game enough for everyone, regardless of construction prowess. But what if you really want to improve your skills? In that case, the first thing you need to do to restore hope in your skills is to stop comparing your abilities to others. Trust me, there will always be someone who can create circles (literally) around you in Landmark. Instead, focus on what you can do and on improving from there. If you really desire to make some specific awesome creation that you can see in your mind's eye but can't it make work in voxels, take the time to hone your skills. You may never join the upper echelons of the truly constructionally gifted, but that doesn't mean you can't make something great that you can be proud of! This guide will help point you in the direction of polishing and practicing those voxel manipulation skills. Continue reading Norrathian Notebook: How to improve your Landmark building skills Norrathian Notebook: How to improve your Landmark building skills originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MMORPG News

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• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: A Roundup of Epic Proportions
• World of Tanks: The Road to the Gold League Championship Begins
• Trove: Player-Generated Awesomeness
• Rift: Nightmare Tide's Underwater Wonders
• Shroud of the Avatar: Pre-Alpha Release 9 Sweepstakes!
• Mass Effect 4: Casey Hudson Leaves Bioware
• Trove: Dracolyte Arrives & $5 for Instant Access
• The Crew: Next Closed Beta Event Dated
• Rift: v2.8 'Madness Wake' Released
• ArcheAge: Third Beta Event Detailed
• Demon Crusade: Closed Beta Begins
• Star Trek Online: Follow In Voyager's Footsteps in Delta Rising Expansion
• WildStar: Defiling Convention
• Das Tal: Alpha PvP Footage & a Move to Steam Greenlight
• General: Chaos Heroes Online - Teaser Video Reveals Characters
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Story's the Thing

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: A Roundup of Epic Proportions Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:38 PM PDT Instead of a small number of long updates, we seem to have a lot of little awesome things to discuss this week, from free trials, to hunt theorycrafting, to a 14-hour Japanese extravaganza commemorating the first year of A Realm Reborn. Join me as we round up the awesome for a bit of discussion.

World of Tanks: The Road to the Gold League Championship Begins Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:08 PM PDT The World of Tanks team is on hand in a special live stream event pitting four of the game's best teams against one another in an elimination competition all leading to the finals of the Gold League Championship. The event has just kicked off and is scheduled to run for the next several hours.

Trove: Player-Generated Awesomeness Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:32 PM PDT In keeping with the relatively new notion of transparent development, the makers of sandbox game Trove have let players in since the game hit alpha. Continuing the tradition, last week, the game's publisher Trion Worlds invited me to see the game in its current state during an in-office Community Day event. Fortunate timing that, since it allowed me to see lots of cool player-made content before it gets swept away by the end-of-alpha apocalypse.

Rift: Nightmare Tide's Underwater Wonders Posted: 06 Aug 2014 04:42 PM PDT For the last three years, the heroes of Telara have done their best to staunch a seemingly-endless flow of planes-spawned elementals. Perhaps though, it's time to stop the flow at its source? Trion Worlds seems to agree, and this week they invited us to explore a world beyond Telara--the beautiful, treacherous, and surprising Plane of Water.

Shroud of the Avatar: Pre-Alpha Release 9 Sweepstakes! Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:37 PM PDT MMORPG.com is very pleased to present this exclusive sweepstakes event! We have partnered with Portalarium Inc to give away 1,000 Pre-Alpha Release 9 access for the latest MMORPG by RPG legend Richard Garriot - Shroud of the Avatar! Enter for a chance to win now!

Mass Effect 4: Casey Hudson Leaves Bioware Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:13 PM PDT Bioware Executive Producer Casey Hudson has left Bioware according to a new developer blog by Aaryn Flynn, BioWare Studio General Manager. According to the post, Hudson wrote to colleagues that, after sixteen years, he wanted to reevaluate his prospects. Hudson came under fire with the fan outrage surrounding Mass Effect 3 but was still heading up development of Mass Effect 4.

Trove: Dracolyte Arrives & $5 for Instant Access Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:05 PM PDT Trove's Twitter is afire today with a pair of nifty notes for players. First off, the Dracolyte is headed into the game today and for anyone who has yet to try out Trove with instant access, the $20 Adventurer package will be on sale for only $5 this weekend only!

The Crew: Next Closed Beta Event Dated Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:55 PM PDT Ubisoft Canada has a new post on Twitter that should excite fans of The Crew as they are announcing the next closed beta test.

Rift: v2.8 'Madness Wake' Released Posted: 07 Aug 2014 01:59 PM PDT Trion Worlds has announced the release of Rift v2.8, Madness Wakes. This update introduces the players to the storyline that will ultimately lead to the release of the expansion "Nightmare Tide". To celebrate the Madness Wakes update, the Rift team has a brand new video to show off some of what players can expect.

ArcheAge: Third Beta Event Detailed Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:52 AM PDT The latest blog on the ArcheAge site takes a look back at the second closed beta event and gives players some insight into what changes may be in store for the third beta event set to begin today and run through the weekend. The team is taking a hard look at the Labor System and its attendant costs, working closely with XLGames in the process.

Demon Crusade: Closed Beta Begins Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:44 AM PDT nGames has announced that the closed beta for its next MMO, Demon Rising, has officially kicked off. Demon Rising takes elements from both Western and Chinese mythology and uses them to send players on an epic journey to protect the Demon Temple.

Star Trek Online: Follow In Voyager's Footsteps in Delta Rising Expansion Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:40 AM PDT Cryptic Studios has announced that the next Star Trek Online expansion will be called Delta Rising and will take players on a journey to follow in the footsteps of Voyager. In Delta Rising, as the name indicates, players will head to the Delta Quadrant to reexamine what was mapped by Voyager three decades before. The expansion will also feature Voyager series star Garrett Wang reprising his role as Harry Kim.

WildStar: Defiling Convention Posted: 06 Aug 2014 04:58 PM PDT The Defile, WildStar's 3rd monthly drop, has arrived on Carbine's Public Test Realm, just as the heavy convention season gets underway. From regular class updates to significant housing improvements, columnist Gareth Harmer takes a look at what's arriving in this update.

Das Tal: Alpha PvP Footage & a Move to Steam Greenlight Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:15 AM PDT The Das Tal team has let us know of a pair of interesting tidbits of news. In the first, Das Tal is now part of the Steam Greenlight campaign, with players able to head to the portal to vote the game for inclusion on the mega-games portal. In addition, a new video featuring alpha PvP footage from July's testing events has been released.

General: Chaos Heroes Online - Teaser Video Reveals Characters Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:09 AM PDT Aeria Games has sent out the first teaser trailer for Chaos Heroes Online, its forthcoming MOBA. The trailer reveals several of the game's heroes and their unique fighting abilities. Check it out to see what you think!

Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Story's the Thing Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:01 AM PDT When you build your corporate game development reputation on high-end storytelling, there shouldn't be much surprise when your fanbase expects the same level of quality out of any subsequent release. BioWare is synonymous with some of the richest stories in all of PC gaming, and with an intellectual property like Star Wars to play with, our expectations are understandably high.

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