General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Old School Monday: Make Multimedia Manifestos!

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 04:04 PM PDT

In this age of feature films shot on camcorders and chart-busting albums recorded in home studios, it's easy to forget there was a time when you couldn't use a basic personal computer to mount even amateur-quality audio or video productions without investing in pricey upgrades.

What's even funnier is that what passes for a professionally produced video these days doesn't involve half the preparation and planning we urged readers to perform in this story. Our lighting recommendations—key light, back light, fill light—are still valid for a polished shoot, but when's the last time you criticized a great YouTube video for having poor production values? Cheese is the watchword these days; the thicker, the better.

Recognize the cover boy for today's Old School Monday? That's right, it's Valve's VP of Marketing, the lovely and talented Doug Lombardi! Travel back 15 years in Mr. Peabody's WABAC machine and you'll find Mr. Lombardi toiling as a news editor at boot magazine, the ancestor to the Maximum PC you know and love today. Doug's shorn his curly locks since becoming a titan of the gaming industry—he wore it shoulder length when we first hired him.

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Spotify Has 1.4 Million US Users, 175,000 Paid Subscribers

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 02:30 PM PDT

spotifyMusic streaming service Spotify launched in the US just a few weeks ago, and a source has let it slip that the company already has 1.4 million US users. Also of great importance, Spotify has apparently snared 175,000 users for paid accounts. Not bad for a service that is still invite only.

The music labels that Spotify partners with are quite interested in the conversions rate, that is, the proportion of free users that upgrade to the paid plans. Based on these leaked numbers, the current conversion rate is at 12.5%. Not bad, but lower than the service's 15% conversion rate in Europe. 

A possible reason for the lag is that the current US free offering is a little less restricting, for the time being at least. Another notable number is that Spotify's entire European user base is just 1.6 million. We imagine that when Spotify opens for all comers in the US, their numbers could balloon. This streaming music thing might work out yet.

Do You Use Your Real Name Online?

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 01:34 PM PDT

Anonymity on the web has been called both a blessing and a curse. Online alter-egos allow people an unprecedented freedom to communicate their deepest hopes or explore alternate activities or pastimes without risk to their real lives or reputations. It can also empower our worst human proclivities, setting loose trolls, scams and, in some cases, serious criminal activity.

Either way, it has been a fundamental facet of online life since the Internet's inception. And that rankles some of the technorati, people like Randi Zuckerberg. Mark's sister and marketing director of Facebook, she took aim at the topic in a social media panel discussion hosted by Marie Claire:

"I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away. People behave a lot better when they have their real names down. … I think people hide behind anonymity and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors."

It's true that accountability is lacking in a virtual universe where anyone can hide behind a fake name. We live in an age marked by story after story about social lodging sites being used by unchecked criminals to rob homes, children being targeted by online assailants, and hacker groups covertly breaching multinationals' security (and laying users' data bare to the world). The incidences certainly seem to be mounting. And the arbiters of today's internet culture have had enough.

It's becoming increasingly clear that a war is being waged to unmask the web.

You know something's going on when boutique industries start cropping up, pinpointing potential cashola. Sites like Tru.ly and Trufina are offering online identity checks for transactions and Social Intelligence has grabbed a lot of headlines for its social media background checks. (Before you think anyone with the slightest bit of tech-savvy could easily skirt this, you may be interested in seeing what happened when a Gizmodo editor went through the check recently. Long story short: He failed.)

Speaking of social networks, Facebook is infamously militant about people using real names, and now so is Google+. (In the case of the latter, however, it might be a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario: Just ask Facebook's Product Director Blake Ross. He'd signed up using his real name, but still just got booted out for his trouble.)

The adult industry's another example. They are extremely concerned about this issue, since it would obviously cripple them if users' real identities were attached to their activities. Now, what adults do in the (pseudo-) privacy of their homes may be up to them, but, say lawmakers, think of the children! And so they passed a bill called Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011. This piece of legislation is controversial, not because it protects kids — who in their right mind would argue against that? — but because, if it passes into law, it would require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to track identity, billing and network data on customers for at least 18 months. And that would cover all people, not just the low-lifes who dig child porn. This is why the ACLU and others are fighting this bill. It's not a matter of anonymity, but of privacy.

This isn't a simple black-and-white, right-or-wrong scenario. There are as many arguments to keep anonymity as there are to banish it — and some of them have pretty chilling factors. I'm talking about political dissidents, battered women in hiding, and existing (or even potential) stalking victims, as well as others whose survival depends on remaining under the radar. This has even inspired a grassroots movement to preserve people's right to use pseudonyms online.

This can be disconcerting for the general public as well. Already, our homes, cars, phones, IP addresses and other location or identifying data is being imaged or tracked. Consider this scenario: You're on the street and someone takes a liking to you. They snap your picture, and using that, conduct a facial recognition-search with it (which is actually pretty simple to do). Once they have your name, they can dig up your address, model of car you drive, and your phone number, as well as see what types of accounts or memberships you have, to gain intel on your activities.

I'd love to say that this is a far-fetched scenario, but it's actually not. In fact, it's pretty easy and already possible now. So what could stripping away anonymity even more do?

Maybe the better question is, even if everyone's on board with total transparency, would it really be all it's cracked up to be in the end? After all, using her real name didn't stop London Eley from trying to hire a hitman on Facebook. Or Jason Valdez. Aided by loved ones informing him of police movements, he described his police standoff from a motel room on the site. And looking at less-dramatic cases like Blake Ross's, you've got to wonder if it will just wind up causing more trouble than it solves.

Where do you stand on this? Do you use aliases or fake names with your online accounts? Or are you unconcerned about it and use your real name? And would you be okay with it if a blanket mandate became the norm, with all account services enforcing real-name authentication or other transparency policies? Tell us whether or not you agree with Ms. Zuckerberg that "anonymity on the Internet has to go away."

tb 
TechnoBuffalo.com is a technology site created by a team of professional writers that are self-proclaimed tech-enthusiasts. Their articles cover a breadth of technology-related issues and topics from the everyday uses to the business side of the industry.

Linksys E4200 Review

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 12:21 PM PDT

We weren't impressed with the last Linksys-branded router that passed through Maximum Lab North. The dual-band Linksys E3000 (in reality, a rebadged Linksys WRT610N) delivered humdrum performance and lacked a number of important features we expect to find in a high-end router. The E4200 fares better, but we're still scratching our heads over some of Linksys's decisions.

The first thing you'll notice about the E4200 is its minimalist industrial design. Plug in its inline power supply (no wall wart!) and you'll find that it's almost devoid of front-panel idiot lights: There are no LEDs to indicate an Internet connection, which of its radios are operating, or even which of its ports are in use. The only thing that glows on the front panel is Cisco's logo. There are port-activity LEDs on the back of the router, but even these can be turned off via the router's web interface.

Cisco's Linksys E4200 looks pretty, but we value function over form.

We like that. In fact, we liked the entire low-profile design—at least until we tried to plug in our Ethernet cables. That's when we discovered that the top of the router's housing blocked the vinyl hoods covering our cables' RJ45 connectors. We had no problem fitting cables outfitted with bare connectors, but that's pretty lame. Also lame: providing a USB port that doesn't deliver enough power to spin up a 2.5-inch USB hard drive (we tested it with a 500GB Verbatim Clon drive). Oh well, at least the router supports NTSF drives (the E3000 didn't).

Linksys claims the E4200 is capable of a "maximum speed up to 300 + 450 Mb/s." Translation: The E4200 supports two spatial streams (with 150Mb/s of bandwidth each) on its 2.4GHz radio, and three spatial streams (also with 150Mb/s of bandwidth each) on its 5GHz radio. But as we found with the E3000, the E4200 comes from the factory with both radios broadcasting the very same SSID. And while Cisco has made a number of important improvements to its Cisco Connect software (which can turn any USB thumb drive into a wireless client configuration tool), the utility still doesn't inform you which radio it's connecting the client to. Unlike the E3000, however, you can easily access the E4200's web interface and change the SSIDs, as well as other critical aspects of the router's configuration.

In addition to assigning discrete SSIDs to each radio, we also enabled channel bonding on the 2.4GHz radio (an admittedly neighbor-unfriendly move, but we wanted to see what it was capable of; besides, we don't have any neighbors). Channel bonding on the 5GHz radio was enabled at the factory.

We used Trendnet's new TEW-684UB wireless client adapter to benchmark both the Linksys and Netgear routers. This is the first USB adapter to feature three transmit and three receive antennas. Without that third antenna, the client can receive only two spatial streams. As you can see from our benchmark charts, the E4200 trounced Netgear's WNDR4000 on both the 2.4- and 5GHz bands at almost every test location. Indeed, the router delivered the fastest performance at 5GHz of any router we've tested.

So why aren't we awarding the E4200 a higher score? Three reasons: We shouldn't have to jump through hoops to enable the router to perform at its best, the router should provide enough power to its USB port to support any 2.5-inch hard drive, and we shouldn't be limited to using hoodless Ethernet cables.

$160 (street), www.cisco.com

Editor's Note, August 8, 2011: Cisco released a firmware update that added IPv6 and support for USB printers after we finished testing this router. The spec chart has been updated to reflect this information, but it doesn't impact our numerical verdict. 

Netgear WNDR4000 Review

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 12:20 PM PDT

Netgear has developed a bad habit of branding its new routers with two different model numbers. Take the WNDR4000—or is it the N750? Both names are printed on the box, and the router itself is labeled "N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4000."

Did someone sleep through Marketing 101, or is this a shameless ploy to mislead uneducated buyers as to the router's capabilities? We ask because Netgear's website proclaims "Up to 750 Mbps—maximum combined speed." The dual-band chipset inside the WNDR4000/N750, you see, delivers theoretical maximum throughput of 300Mb/s on the 2.4GHz band and 450Mb/s on the 5GHz band. Add 300 to 450 and you get—that's right—750! There's no way to bond the two bit-streams to deliver 750Mb/s of throughput, of course, but don't let that get in the way of a juicy brand name.

Netgear's WNDR4000 looks very much like the older WNDR3700; too bad it doesn't perform like it.

Bad branding decisions aren't the WNDR4000's only problem. This router beat our previous champion—Netgear's WNDR3700—on the 5GHz band at two locations, but it significantly underperformed on the 2.4GHz band. What's more, the Linksys E4200 absolutely crushed both of Netgear's routers in most of our test locations in both throughput and range and on both frequencies.

Physically, the WNDR4000 looks almost identical to the aging WNDR3700. The front has the usual status LEDs, and you'll find a ubiquitous four-port gigabit switch, a USB 2.0 port, and a power switch in back. Unlike the Linksys, the Netgear had no problem powering our hard drive so that we could share its contents on the network. But like the Linksys, you can't use this port to share a printer on the network. Netgear hasn't made any significant changes to its browser-based user interface either.

The router arrived with channel bonding on its 2.4GHz radio disabled. We turned it on for our benchmarks, but Trendnet's TEW-684UB wireless client adapter indicated a link speed of just 145Mb/s. When we contacted Netgear about this, the company suggested that interference from a nearby wireless network might be forcing the router to turn off channel bonding on its own (this is a requirement for gaining Wi-Fi Alliance certification); but as we mentioned earlier, our test environment is devoid of other wireless networks. Besides that, neither the WNDR3700 nor the Linksys router had a problem.

Maybe a firmware update will fix what ails the WNDR4000 (we used version 1.0.0.64). Until that happens, there's very little to recommend this router over the older WNDR3700.

$150 (street), www.netgear.com

Chrome Web App of the Week: Radio

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 11:57 AM PDT

Do you remember rock n' roll radio? If not, we won't take it personally. After all, with services like Spotify, Rdio, Slacker and Turntable.fm to choose our tunes from, computer and smartphone users have never been more spoiled for choice when it comes to music. Commercial-free music is available to anyone that wants it, provided they're willing to do the work of setting up an account and picking the tunes they want to listen to. For those of us that prefer to sit back and let someone else do the aural heavy lifting for us, and consider radio to still be an important part of our daily lives, there's Radio, our Chrome Web App of the Week.

Users of DoubleTime's Radio Chrome web app, may not be able to pick each and every song they listen to, but that doesn't mean they don't have any musical options available to them. The application offers up some of the most popular radio stations in the world, with new channels being added on a regular basis. For individuals traveling or working abroad, Radio is a dream come true: expatriates can listen to streaming news, music, and sports coverage from a wide variety of countries around the world in multiple languages, making it a great way to stay up to date with happens at home.

Best of all, if your favorite radio station isn't currently featured in the application, Radio's developers are open to request--just like a DJ.

Be sure to check back every week for another edition of Maximum PC's Chrome Web App of the Week.

Seagate Offering Free Data Recovery Service With New GoFlex Turbo External HDD

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 11:25 AM PDT

When we woke up this morning, we had no idea that the security of backup data would be the trend of the day, but here we are anyways (and to be fair, we don't think so clearly in the morning). We've already told you about the supposedly invincible M-Disc, so let's talk external drives; Seagate's new GoFlex Turbo HDD hit store shelves today, and it comes with the company's SafetyNet Data Recovery Service included. If your GoFlex Turbo gives up the ghost in the next two years, Seagate will try to recover your data for free, either remotely or in-lab.

The plan's only good for one recovery attempt, but hey, that's a lot better than you'll get with most HDDs, and third-party data recovery can cost an arm and a leg. And heads up, foreign Max PC readers: the offer's only good in the U.S. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Aside from the SafetyNet service, the 7200 RPM GoFlex Turbo also sports USB 3.0 ports, so you'll be able to load it up quickly. Firewire and eSATA connections are available with the purchase of an additional adapter. Two models are up for grabs: the 500GB version will set you back $120, while its bigger 750GB cousin costs a cool $140.

The Khronos Group Unveils New OpenGL 4.2 Standard

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Maximum PC's blunt no-BS review policy may lead some folks to believe that we're a bunch of hardassed curmudgeons, but actually, we're big softies sometimes. We love cuddling up with a nice, warm graphics card, for example (assuming the proper cooling systems are in place, of course). And everyone enjoys a good open-source project. OpenGL combines the best of both worlds; awesome graphics backed by open-source standards. Today, the Khronos Group, the nonprofit organization in charge of OpenGL, gave the platform a boost with the release of the OpenGL 4.2 standard.

Want some hard details about the new features? The press release provides a quick bullet list:

  • enabling shaders with atomic counters and load/store/atomic read-modify-write operations to a single level of a texture.  These capabilities can be combined, for example, to maintain a counter at each pixel in a buffer object for single-rendering-pass order-independent transparency;  
  • capturing GPU-tessellated geometry and drawing multiple instances of the result of a transform feedback to enable complex objects to be efficiently repositioned and replicated;  
  • modifying an arbitrary subset of a compressed texture, without having to re-download the whole texture to the GPU for significant performance improvements;  
  • packing multiple 8 and 16 bit values into a single 32-bit value for efficient shader processing with significantly reduced  memory storage and bandwidth, especially useful when transferring data between shader stages.

It only gets more technical from there, folks. If you're the kind of person who enjoys wading through a swamp of tech specs, you can check out the entire OpenGL 4.2 standard for yourself at the Khronos website. Nvidia's already rolled out OpenGL 4.2-compatible drivers to coincide with the announcement, and AMD plans on introducing 4.2 beta drivers of their own today.

New M-Disc Technology Promises Permanent Data Retention

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:27 AM PDT

More and more folks are turning to cloud services like Dropbox to store their oh-so-precious private data, but when it comes to truly valuable info, it's still a good idea to keep a physical backup disc around in case those virtual services crap out on you. Then again, CDs and DVDs scratch waaaaay too easily and have limited shelf lives. If you've ever been screwed by a big gouge across an important backup disc, you might want to check out the new optical media that's hitting the market soon. Supposedly, it lasts forever, and the Department of Defense vouches for its resiliency.

They're called M-Discs and they're being brought to market a start-up company called Millenniata, Computerworld reports. M-Discs ditch the traditional reflective layer found in standard physical media discs and instead etch the information directly into the body of the multi-layered disc itself, which is made of an undisclosed stone-like substance. Millenniata says that any device that can read a DVD can read an M-Disc – the only special equipment necessary in the whole process is an M-Disc burner.

That's cool in and of itself, but Millenniata also claims that M-Discs are darned near impervious to damage. They told Computerworld you can toss an M-Disc in liquid nitrogen, then dump boiling water all over it, and nary a byte of data will be damaged. A DoD study found no data loss after subjecting the M-Disc to grueling conditions -- a claim no other disc can make.

Although LG's supplying the initial round of M-Disc burners, Millenniata's CEO says that any DVD hardware manufacturer can make the jump to M-Disc by installing a firmware upgrade on their machines. The M-Disc's staying power comes at the cost of burn speed, however; you can only write to them at a 4x rate. At that speed, it's almost a good thing that M-Discs will only be able to match standard DVD capacities of 4.7GB when they hit the shelves in October for $3 a pop. Millenniata puts their money where their mouth is by offering a lifetime warranty for the discs.

Image credit: troveas.com

EVGA Unveils Z68 Motherboard Series

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 09:46 AM PDT

Building a socket 1155 system? If so, EVGA is making a pitch for its recently announced Z68 motherboard series. The hardware maker is taking aim at enthusiasts who live to overclock, especially with the company's Z68 FTW board, which comes loaded with OC-friendly features like EVGA Vdroop control, one-touch overclocking, 12-phase PWM, voltage read points, onboard clear CMOS, power, and reset buttons, and more.

The FTW model is EVGA's flagship Z68 board and is available with or without an EVGauge unit that slides into an available 5.25-inch drive bay. It displays CPU temps and gives users an easy way to adjust voltages without mucking around in the BIOS.

Other features include four DDR3 slots with support for up to 16GB of memory, three PCI-E x16/x8 slots, a pair of PCI-E x8 slots, two PCI-E x1 slots, eight SATA 3Gb/s ports, two SATA 6Gbps ports, RAID 0/1/0+1/5/ and JBOD support, HD audio, ten USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, FireWire, and other goodies packed onto an EATX form factor board.

There's also the EVGA Z68 SLI and SLI Micro boards, which you can learn more about here.

Image Credit: EVGA
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO Updates

MMO Updates

Dragonica expansion bringing new race, class, and mountable pets

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT

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There's a new Dragonica expansion in the works, and gPotato and Gala Networks Europe have issued a new press release outlining a few details from the upcoming New Origin patch. The expansion launches this September, and looks to be the largest content update in Dragonica's history.

What's the big deal?

For starters, the patch will bring about a new playable race and mountable pets. Strangely, today's press release doesn't mention the new race by name, and instead says that it will "arrive with an entirely new player class" that uses summoning magic in some form, and "differ[s] significantly from [the] classes currently available." As for the new mount system, gPotato says that players may use their existing pets and may also deploy the mounts during battle. The expansion will include new pets as well, and we'll bring you more on all the New Origin content in the near future.

MassivelyDragonica expansion bringing new race, class, and mountable pets originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LEGO Universe update adds progression system

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT

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LEGO Universe has the creative aspects of MMOs and online gaming down pat. After all, we're talking LEGOs here, and if there's one word that's synonymous with the long-running Danish toy line, that word is build.

What's there to do in LEGO Universe when your creativity runs dry, though? Thanks to the game's latest content update, traditional MMO character-building is now a viable option. Player minifigures may progress through 40 levels of content, unlocking points, achievements, and equipment along the way.

That's not all, as the latest LEGO Universe patch also features four new faction kits (Specialized Adventurer, Shinobi, Inventor, and Space Ranger), each of them aligned with one of the game's four Nexus Force factions and each offering players the opportunity to rank up and explore "new gear, powers, and abilities." Last but not least, the new LEGO Universe update brings a new instance challenge in the form of the Avant Gardens, and a big nasty known as the Spider Queen awaits players who are creative enough to make it through to the final battle.

MassivelyLEGO Universe update adds progression system originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flameseeker Chronicles: PvP in Flux

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 09:00 AM PDT

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As we enjoy the calm before the storm that is Sylvari Week, I want to take some time to look in a different direction briefly: PvP. Specifically, I want to talk about Flux. It's been in place for several months now, giving ArenaNet time to adjust things here and there, and giving the Guild Wars community time to get used to it.

The Flux effect, if you're not familiar with it, is a regularly changing environmental effect that is present in PvP areas. It changes the damage you give or receive based on varying factors such as movement, profession, death penalty, and so on.

It's been a big deal in the PvP community, serving to shake up the meta a bit and keep things interesting. Now that we've had several months to settle into it, I took the opportunity to chat with a few PvP players about Flux. Follow along after the jump to see what they had to say!

Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: PvP in Flux

MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: PvP in Flux originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Catch The Raid's world premiere for free

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT

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The Raid movie
Hot on the heels of 2009's Second Skin, MMO players are once again the subject of an in-depth documentary about their lives and playing styles as Gamebreaker.TV is hosting the world premiere of The Raid for all to enjoy.

Directed by gamer Kevin Johnson, The Raid follows a guild of World of Warcraft players who tackle some of the toughest challenges of the game and open up about what being a raider means to them. The 20-minute runtime examines what drives players to the raiding scene and introduces outsiders to the collaboration and competition that goes on during these events. The primary focus, however, is on the social aspect of raiding and how it binds a group of people together for a single purpose.

You can catch the documentary after the jump until Wednesday evening at 10 p.m. EDT. Please note that the film starts around the 26-minute mark if you don't want to sit through the pre-show interviews. Give it a watch and let us know what you think -- did The Raid hit the spot or miss its target?

Continue reading Catch The Raid's world premiere for free

MassivelyCatch The Raid's world premiere for free originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MV Guide: August 8-14, 2011

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 07:00 AM PDT

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MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel.

Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During livestream events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)

Follow along after the jump to see what's scheduled for this week!

Continue reading MV Guide: August 8-14, 2011

MassivelyMV Guide: August 8-14, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Out of all your characters, who's the favorite?

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT

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Play MMOs long enough and you'll amass your own little army of characters. Some details might be the same from game to game, even if you're not much of a roleplayer, but there's no doubt a vast difference in capability and what abilities are even available to a given player. Sure, you can have a similar-looking elf in both World of Warcraft and RIFT, but odds are good that the two will play completely differently.

Maybe you only have a couple of games in your history and you're immune to the urge of making dozens of alts, or perhaps you've got a hundred characters spread over dozens of games. Whatever the case, there are no doubt one or two names that stand out in the list. So who's your favorite character out of the ones you've played? Is it a character that stands out due to class abilities, roleplaying, or some other sentimental connection?

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Out of all your characters, who's the favorite? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Week in Review: Pandas in the mist

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 06:00 PM PDT

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At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. Miss a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week? You've come to the right post.

World of Warcraft subs dipped below their high water mark this week, prompting catcalls and huzzahs from Blizzard detractors and we've-heard-that-before eyerolls from the rest of us. Coincidentally (or maybe not), rumors of a Pandaren-flavored expansion for the fantasy title surfaced alongside the whisperings of discontent.

Lest you think we've turned into WoW Insider, rest assured that lots of other MMO news happened this week as well, and we've got your recap after the cut!

Continue reading Week in Review: Pandas in the mist

MassivelyWeek in Review: Pandas in the mist originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Minmatar and Caldari

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT

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Over the years, I've introduced several friends to EVE Online and tried to give them the best start possible. Offering a financial safety net for ship losses definitely helped a little, as did providing funding to back market experiments and manufacturing or research ventures. What I found helped most of all was to bring new players on quick PvP fleets and discourage them from gravitating toward mining or mission-running as their primary form of gameplay. The adrenaline rush of EVE PvP is something I've yet to find in another MMO, and it's the reason so many of us are hooked to the game. It only makes sense then to introduce new players to it as soon as possible.

Last month, I encouraged new players who might be starting out on their own to grab a few friends and similarly charge into PvP from day one. To follow up, the last two weeks' columns have been dedicated to getting new players into their first PvP frigate and upgrading to a cruiser, with emphasis on staying financially ahead of the inevitable ship losses. Last week we tackled Gallente and Amarr ships, with some cheap battle-tested setups for the Thorax, Vexor, Arbitrator and Omen that new players will be able to fly with only a few weeks of skill training.

In this week's EVE Evolved, we look at Minmatar and Caldari cruisers, with setups for the Stabber, Rupture, Blackbird and Moa and tips on saving your escape pod to minimise the cost of death.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Minmatar and Caldari

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Upgrading to a PvP cruiser: Minmatar and Caldari originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Farewell to Some Assembly Required week

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 02:00 PM PDT

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On this last day of Some Assembly Required week on One Shots, we're featuring a shot courtesy of yours truly. The image is from another great make-it-yourself game, Fallen Earth. The game is on the free-to-play fast track, so the doors will be open soon for anyone interested to jump in and start crafting their own armor, mounts, and even meals.

Next week's theme starts tomorrow, and it's pop culture in MMOs. Developers sneak references in all over games, whether it be via NPCs, quests, or items, and we want to see your favorites. Grab a screenshot, tell us a bit about what it is, and send it to oneshots@massively.com. We'll be featuring the best of these all week.

Gallery: One Shots: 2011

MassivelyOne Shots: Farewell to Some Assembly Required week originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Earth Eternal

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT

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Earth Eternal screenshot
This week I was lucky enough to revisit Earth Eternal, the independent browser-based game that features a future ruled by animals. For a long time, players feared that its recent disappearance meant the end of the game. Then, we were told that a foreign company bought it and planned on revamping it and returning it to life. I'll be honest and say that I never thought I would see it happen. So few MMOs, independent or not, get a second chance at anything.

Yet, here we are. The game has returned and it is in a fully playable state. I was so surprised that I didn't really believe it until I was making a character and entering the game. A few things have changed, some have improved and others were worse.

Click past the cut and I'll tell you all about it!

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Earth Eternal

MassivelyRise and Shiny recap: Earth Eternal originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO updates

MMO updates

Karos Online - New regional publishers

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 08:52 PM PDT


According to foreign reports, 2 new servers for Karos Online is bound to start operations soon. These will be the North America and South East Asia (SEA) servers. For the North America server, it will be published by Ignited Games (link), whose games include Wonderking Online for the same region. For the SEA server, it will be published by one of the region's biggest MMO publisher, Thailand's Winner Online (not confirmed if it is in English).


What will happen to the current Ijji (link) server? Apparently it will remain as the global server (not confirmed) despite Russia and South America having their own localized service as well. Personally having tried Karos Online, I have no idea why is there the sudden craze for the game's publishing rights. The features are as basic as a year 2000 game with nothing much to shout about. And don't boast to me about the Fletta system...

Glory Destiny Online - Cute Thrills

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 09:45 AM PDT


Glory Destiny Online is a new MMORPG by Taiwanese developer, X-Legend, which went into Open Beta back in June if I remember correctly. X-Legend is known for its other games in the English market, most notably under Aeria Games with titles such as Grand Fantasia, Eden Eternal and the recently closed Kitsu Saga.


I will like to stress this is not a review, preview or professional article in anyway, just my thoughts on the game. Perhaps one of the cutest game around, if not the cutest, Glory Destiny Online does not fail in presenting the anime-ish style game world to me. Not needing a powerful system as well in displaying the clean graphics and vibrant colors of the world, coupled with the really adorable characters and emotes. the game is an absolute eye-candy!


There are 3 races to choose from, each with 2 classes which are not gender locked. But the classes are racial locked, hence there might be some players whining over this. To the right of the character is the God Beast mode players may change into. At level 20, my change only lasts 14 seconds! Character wise, I am really glad there is an attack speed stat, where it can be increased using equipments etc. This is perhaps one of the most neglected and left out stats nowadays in online games.


The combat got me for a few minutes as I was used to selecting an enemy and pressing the skill button expecting the skill to be activated. In Glory Destiny Online, players will have to click on the skill macro (1, 2, 3 etc) and right click on the mouse to activate it, instead of selecting a target and clicking on the macro. I know there are several other games doing this, but it has been some time since I played one with similar controls... I think Legend of Edda was the same?


As you can see from the videos, the camera angle gives players a "globe" feeling when moving around, like the characters are walking on a sphere. I can't seem to locate a camera adjustment option, hence I see this as one of the flaws. Legend of Edda has this problem as well, and camera adjustment was added to the game after players' feedback. I hope Glory Destiny Online gets it too.


Some other flaws include an obvious lack of social and community features, including an auction house and party finding system. Seeing how X-Legend updates their games' content frequently, these 2 are basic features which must be added as soon as possible. I am having trouble with the first instance and there is no way I can find a party unless I join a guild. I hate typing in Traditional Chinese!


Glory Destiny Online at its early stage is a game with features found in most games, including battle pets, mounts (cash shop only), simple upgrading and socketing system and PvP arenas. Even villages can be taken over by monsters! As explained in one of the videos, some NPCs might disappear if a town or outpost is occupied by monsters, hence players will need to defeat them and the town totem as well.

Overall, Glory Destiny Online is a solid game for now, but I am still seething at the lack of community and social features. The lack of classes and advancements compared to Eden Eternal is something which is worrying as well. But still, it is an enjoyable game with minimal fuss. A few features and content updates will make this game shine even brighter! I am currently at level 20 now, I guess I will explore the game a little further~

The Weekend Journal

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 08:52 AM PDT


I just finished watching the Manchester derby for the Community Shield match... A really entertaining and heart-stopping curtain raiser before the new season begins soon! So, gamescom 2011 is coming real soon, with focus on some big titles including Firefall and TERA (which got delayed). The biggest thing I am looking forward to will be NCSoft and Carbine Studios revealing their first MMO title (link). Will this be another fairytail similar to ArenaNet's Guild Wars franchise? I can't wait!


There is nothing much going on in my personal life... Being an Otaku means staying beside the TV is my 2nd full-time job! I still do hope to visit G*Star 2011 though, but it seems chances are slim... Have a good week all!
Posted by Shri Krishna
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