General Gaming Article

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• RIM Confirms More BlackBerry Issues, Currently Investigating Cause
• National Emergency Alert System Fails Its First Test
• Future Tense: Whither Apple?
• VIA Unveils World's First Dual-Core Pico-ITX Mainboard
• Next Generation SSDNow SSDs Twice as Fast as Before, Kingston Says
• Windows Phone 7 App of the Week: Spotify
• Need a No Cost Firewall? ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 2012 Has Eyes in the Back of Its Head
• Hard Drive Shortage Takes Toll on Motherboard Market
• HTML5 Reigns Supreme: Adobe Kills Mobile Flash Player
• Kingston HyperX RAM Sets Two New World Overclocking Records

RIM Confirms More BlackBerry Issues, Currently Investigating Cause Posted: 09 Nov 2011 02:37 PM PST Earlier today, RIM confirmed that some customers are experiencing delayed or disrupted BlackBerry services, and the company is looking into it. Even this small hint that RIM could be on the verge of another outage has some customers up in arms. Last month the maker of BlackBerry smartphones experienced a multi-day outage that affected almost all users of the devices. Today, reports of problems seem to be increasing again. According to RIM, they believe the issue to be localized in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Though, the previous outage started a a local problem before spreading globally. Most of today's reports are of emails going missing, or being severely delayed. This indicates a problem with the BlackBerry Email Servers, which serve all mail for Blackberry users. RIM's back end infrastructure made sense a few years ago, but with new push technologies and faster data connections, it is increasingly becoming a liability. If this incident turns out to be nothing, it will really serve to show how closely everyone is watching RIM, and perhaps expecting them to make another mistake.

National Emergency Alert System Fails Its First Test Posted: 09 Nov 2011 02:22 PM PST The very first test of the National Emergency Alert System today, but it appears that the new high-tech system that was due to take over all the airwaves failed fairly spectacularly. At 2PM eastern time, the system was supposed to break into radio and all TV channels to ensure all the parts were working as expected. Instead, many regions didn't get any alerts at all. FEMA has said that it is still processing the results of the test and will have more information in a few weeks. Though, FEMA officials have conceded behind closed doors that there was a serious glitch resulting in a partial failure of the emergency alert system. Some early indications are that the satellite and cable operators had not properly prepared equipment.  This was just a test, and is presumably intended to uncover problems like this. Although this was the first test of the national system, and FEMA is likely going to have some explaining to do as they seek to fix the problem. maybe while they're at it, adding a social media component to the National Emergency Alert System would make sense too. Did you see the test in your area?

Future Tense: Whither Apple? Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:57 PM PST Whither Apple? I believe America's greatest strength has been its ability to cultivate the most profitable crop in human history—geniuses.  This country is the way it is because of men and women with genuine vision and the ability to move that vision into the realm of accomplishment.  In fact, our current economic woes may very well be due to a failure to invest in the next generation's crop of geniuses.  We have spent too many years failing nurture vision and innovation.  Industry has made the near-fatal mistake of thinking that "make it cheaper" is an acceptable substitute for "make it better."  The evidence says that it is not.  The great strength of Apple computers was always the commitment of Steve Jobs to "make it better."  Jobs' return to Apple was the smartest move the shareholders ever did.  (Apple's darkest days occurred during the reign of whatshisname, the soda salesman.   Whatever experience he had managing a company that made its profits from selling carbonated sugar water, it wasn't the kind of visionary experience that a computer company needs.)  So the loss of Steve Jobs now could be as critical a moment for the company as it was when he was forced out in 1985.  A visionary company needs a visionary leader.   Consider the Disney empire.  Walt Disney was the Steve Jobs of his time—a different industry, but no less a visionary.  Walt wasn't afraid to take chances.  He'd already been making silent cartoons when sound technology came to the movies.  He immediately recognized the possibilities of adding music to animation.  Steamboat Willie was a gamble, but it paid off big:  it made Mickey Mouse a hit and it established Disney as the foremost cartoon studio in the country.   Everybody else was playing catch-up.  Walt continued to push the art form.  He was the first to make cartoons in color, the first to use the multi-plane camera to create the illusion of depth, and the first to produce a feature-length cartoon.  He bet the farm on Snow White.  He had to go back to the bank to borrow money to finish the film.  If it had flopped at the box office, Anaheim and Orlando would still be suburbs.  Throughout his life, Disney continued to push the limits of what was possible.  Fantasia was a brilliant and ambitious effort—a marvelous marriage of great music and astonishing animation.  And it was in six-channel sound!  Initially, it was a financial disaster for the studio, but only fifteen years later it was recognized as a masterpiece.  Walt was never afraid of risks.  As he had done so many times before, he bet the farm on 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.  The picture had a marvelous cast (Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Peter Lorre!) and some of the best underwater effects ever shot.  Even today, the film holds up beautifully, fairly earning the reputation of "timeless classic."   The first attempt at the giant squid sequence didn't work.  It had to be reshot as a nighttime storm sequence.  It was expensive, but necessary.  Once again Walt had to go back to the bank.  The movie ended up being the most expensive picture ever made in Hollywood (up to that time).  But it was also one of the most successful movies of the year, of the decade.  (I saw it six times that first summer.)  Walt's biggest gamble was the construction of Disneyland in Anaheim.  Again, he had to dance with the financiers.  There were many who believed that an amusement park was a frivolous investment, that the park would be Walt's final folly.  But Walt had the vision to create a television series of the same name.  Like the park, the show had Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland—it was an hour-long weekly commercial and children all over the country understood the connection.   Disneyland wasn't just an amusement park, it was the first theme park.  In fact, it was a multi-themed park.   Disney World in Orlando was another big gamble, but this time Disney had the evidence that it would work—not just a park, but a whole landscape of parks and hotels.  And this time he had the resources to do it on an astonishing scale.  Disney would now control the entire resort experience, guaranteeing both a consistent level of quality and a higher cash flow.  But Walt never forgot his love of animation.  He was a very hands-on producer.  Those who worked with him often shared anecdotes about how he would act out the stories he wanted them to create.  There's no question but that the films produced while Walt was alive had a magic to them that simply evaporated after his death in 1966.  Despite Walt's best efforts to provide direction for the Disney empire after his passing, what was missing was Walt.  Those who held the decision-making power didn't have his same sense of vision and imagination, didn't have the same ability to inspire the artisans.  The films of that period weren't just forgettable, they were dismal and embarrassing—in particular,  Robin Hood, The Fox And The Hound, The Black Cauldron Oliver And Company. It wasn't until Jeffrey Katzenberg came in that the animation department began to recover.   When he left, the quality of the films slumped again—Treasure Planet?!!--until John Lasseter arrived.  And that's the point.  Just as Disney's success depended on Walt's genius, so has Apple's success depended on Steve Jobs.  After Walt died, Disney floundered, not recovering until Michael Eisner took the reins.  Like Walt Disney, Jobs was never afraid to take risks, never afraid to innovate, never afraid to create.  Under Jobs, Apple never put out a "me-too" product.  Even those who weren't Apple customers paid close attention to Jobs' annual presentations of new products.  Steve Jobs is simply irreplaceable.  He was Apple.  The company is currently in a very strong position and is likely to remain so for some time.  The iPod, iPhone, and iPad product lines still own their respective market niches.  (I'd like to say nice things about the MacBook Air as well, but I find the keyboard practically impossible for touch typing.)  I assume that like Walt Disney, Steve Jobs left his company with sufficient direction to carry them forward for the next few years.  But that timeline will run out.  The circumstances of the marketplace are going to change, the competition will ramp up its own product lines and present new challenges, consumers are going to start looking around to see what else is happening, and most important—the new leadership of the company will be caught on the horns of an internal dilemma, struggling to honor Jobs' vision while creating their own sense of direction.  Apple may be looking at an identity crisis somewhere down the road.  It could be as soon as next year, it might not be evident for two or three years, but it could be inevitable.    None of this speculation is intended to disparage Apple or anyone who works there.  It's merely an observation about what happens to a company when it loses its visionary.  There are a lot of other examples to point to.  The history of Ford Motors.   Chrysler with and without Lee Iacocca.  The IBM-PC after Don Estridge.  Sony without Akio Morita.  Star Trek, depending on who's sitting in the throne of the Great Bird.  A visionary company requires a visionary leader.  Apple is approaching a crossroads.  Without someone at the helm who thinks about doing impossible things, "make it cheaper" looks like an easy shortcut to higher profits.  If Jobs has chosen his people well, they'll resist that temptation.  I expect them to.  But part of Apple's continuing success is its relationship with its fan-base.  (Yeah, I know I should have said customer-base, but fan-base seems more appropriate.)  Apple thrives on big splashy product announcements.  Without the regular dose of "and one more thing" will Apple retain its magic?  (The iPhone 4S was not the iPhone 5 and the fan-base was visibly disappointed.)  One of the things I've seen in several different industries is that sometimes people entrenched in positions of authority regard ambitious young visionaries as a threat, so they remove the threat to protect their own position.  Even worse, they tarnish the reputations of those they fear.  (I'm not naming names here.)  That's a mistake.  It hurts the entrepreneur for a little while, but it hurts the company, the consumer, and the marketplace even more.  The smarter thing to do is recognize the genius, find the right niche for him or her, provide the resources for the genius to take on interesting challenges, to create and innovate, invest in the results—and then afterward take the credit for being smart enough to hire that genius in the first place.  Everyone will respect your management skills and regard you as a management genius.  But where the person in power is desperate to be seen as the creative genius—well, um, lack of genius reveals itself every time.  Real genius lies in recognizing genius in others and giving it wings to fly.  If Jobs left behind a cadre of dedicated team-players, the company will run smoothly…for a while.  But if he was visionary enough to have stashed a few troublemakers into the mix, guys like himself who didn't quite fit the mold, and who were always pushing the boundaries, guys who dream of the stars, then Apple will continue to soar.  Apple can't afford to forget its own history—what it was with Jobs, what it was without.  It's a history of bold innovation, calculated risks, and an unfailing determination to keep making it better.  I root for Apple to continue innovating.  That kind of competition is good for the entire industry.  What do you think?   ————— David Gerrold is a Hugo and Nebula award-winning author. He has written more than 50 books, including "The Man Who Folded Himself" and "When HARLIE Was One," as well as hundreds of short stories and articles. His autobiographical story "The Martian Child" was the basis of the 2007 movie starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. He has also written for television, including episodes of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Twilight Zone, and Land Of The Lost. He is best known for creating tribbles, sleestaks, and Chtorrans. In his spare time, he redesigns his website, www.gerrold.com

VIA Unveils World's First Dual-Core Pico-ITX Mainboard Posted: 09 Nov 2011 12:36 PM PST VIA just rolled out what the company claims is the industry's first ever dual-core Pico-ITX motherboard. The VIA EPIA-P900 packs a dual-core VIA Eden X2 1GHz x86 processor and VIA VX900H Media System Processor into the smallest commercialized form factor there is. The result is a pint-sized system that's capable of advanced multitasking and multimedia chores, including "flawless" Full HD video rendering. "The VIA Pico-ITX allows embedded system design to pack unprecedented levels of performance into even smaller form factors," said Epan Wu, head of the VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. "The new VIA EPIA-P900 opens up exciting new possibilities for innovation in ultra compact embedded designs." The system measures a scant 10cm x 7.2cm and supports up to 4GB of DDR3 memory. Other highlights include HD audio; HDMI, VGA, and LVDS display connectivity; GbE LAN; support for up to seven USB 2.0 ports (five as pin headers); two SATA ports; and support for digital I/O. VIA didn't say how much the EPIA-P900 will cost, though it's likely to be sold primarily to OEMs anyway. Product Page Image Credit: VIA

Next Generation SSDNow SSDs Twice as Fast as Before, Kingston Says Posted: 09 Nov 2011 12:02 PM PST If climbing hard drive prices have you singing the mechanical storage blues, perhaps it's time to start shopping a solid state drive (SSD). You won't save any money by stepping up to an SSD, nor will you find one that offers a better price-to-gigabyte ratio than an HDD, but at least you'll know the price you paid isn't higher than what it was a month ago for the same drive. Need more temptation? Kingston says its next generation SSDNow Series for cheapskates entry-level, budget shoppers is packing nearly twice the performance as previous generation SSDs. The new SSDNow V200 sports a SATA 6Gbps interface and is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacities. In addition to injecting more performance into these next gen drives, Kingston says they're also up to 20 percent less expensive than the SSDNow V100 Series. Source: Kingston Kingston's 64GB V200 drive is rated at up to 260MB/s sequential reads and up to 100MB/s sequential writes, the 128GB at 300MB/s and 190MB/s, and the 256GB at 300MB/s and 230MB/s. Each drive is available as a standalone unit or as part of an upgrade kit that includes the drive itself, cloning software, a DVD with step-by-step instructions, cables (SATA data and power), and a 3.5-inch mounting bracket. So, what about price? That's a great question, and one Kingston neglected to answer. We'll update as soon as we find out more. Image Credit: Kingston

Windows Phone 7 App of the Week: Spotify Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:32 AM PST Music lovers are funny creatures. We have this desire to own every track from a specific artist or group, but we also like variety, making collecting music an expensive hobby. Maintaining access to your entire music collection when you aren't at home is also an issue. Services like Pandora and Slacker Radio have helped with this conundrum to some extent, allowing us to listen to a variety of music based on our likes and dislikes, but these services don't provide the level of control you get from a large music library.     Enter Spotify, the streaming music service launched in the U.S. in July after several years of success in Europe. Spotify provides the ability to play music by artist, album, or individual track. The service is cloud based, meaning you can easily stream music using your 3G or Wi-Fi connection, and also allows for downloading playlists for offline playback. Spotify also leans heavily on Facebook and Twitter, providing a means to share your listening habits with your friends. Listening to Spotify on a mobile device does require Spotify Premium, a monthly service that runs $9.99 per month. New subscribers can play with the functionality of Spotify on their mobile device for a limited time. Spotify for Windows Phone is available from the Windows Phone Marketplace as a free download.

Need a No Cost Firewall? ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 2012 Has Eyes in the Back of Its Head Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:22 AM PST Can you remember the last time you installed a third-party firewall? It was almost a necessity back when Windows XP was the latest and greatest consumer OS from Redmond, and as far as Check Point is concerned, there are still some big time benefits to be had from standalone firewalls like the new ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 2012 the company just released. This new version is compatible with any standalone antivirus package and offers two-way (inbound and outbound) protection against threats, Check Point says. It also has a redesigned UI that's purportedly easier to use, a faster install routine, identity theft protection, and an anti-phishing/site status toolbar. "More than 200 million people today use free antivirus software, but they lack a strong two-way firewall, leaving their PCs vulnerable to online attacks," said Bari Abdul, vice president of consumer sales at Check Point Software Technologies. "Antivirus alone is not enough. It misses almost 30 percent of viruses, and it does not provide any protection against hackers. At a minimum, consumers need to strengthen their security by adding a strong, two-way firewall on top of their antivirus software. ZoneAlarm is offering an effective solution." ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 2012 is available now in English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. Image Credit: Check Point Software Technologies

Hard Drive Shortage Takes Toll on Motherboard Market Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:54 AM PST Woe is you if your hard drive gives up the ghost, and not just because of the hassle involved with restoring data from your backups (because you are backing up your files, right?). The other reason it sucks to lose a hard drive right now is because recent flooding in Thailand hit HDD makers pretty hard, resulting in a shortage, which itself has resulted in higher prices. Unfortantely, the trickle down effect doesn't stop there. Industry sources tell DigiTimes that the HDD shortage is also having a negative impact on fourth quarter motherboard shipments. We're not talking about just a small dent, either. Overall, fourth quarter motherboard shipments are expected to decrease up to 15 percent. Gigabyte in particular is on pace to end the year on a sour note. The company's Q4 motherboard shipments could see a decline as high as 25 percent. Asus, meanwhile, expects motherboard shipments to drop from 6,3 million in the third quarter to 6 million in the fourth, while MSI, ECS, and ASRock are each bracing for a drop of at least 10 percent. Image Credit: Asus

HTML5 Reigns Supreme: Adobe Kills Mobile Flash Player Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:48 AM PST We're not too proud to admit it: maybe Steve Jobs had it right. Apple's refusal to let Adobe's Flash platform sully iOS is famous in tech circles, and way back in April of 2010, Jobs penned a long, open letter explaining his dislike of Flash and championing HTML5 as an alternative. "Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind," Jobs wrote, and it looks like Adobe finally got the memo: today, the company announced it was ceasing Flash Player development for mobile devices and refocusing its efforts on HTML5. The upcoming Flash Player 11.1 update for Android and the Blackberry Playbook will be the last one scheduled for the software. "We will of course continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates for existing device configurations," Danny Winokur, general manager of interactive development for Adobe, said in the announcement. With mobile development halted, the company will "increase investment" in its HTML5 contributions. Flash isn't disappearing completely, however; Winokur says that the company will continue to focus "on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores." It will also continue to be available and updated for the PC. In fact, Winokour says Adobe is already hard at work on the PC-only Flash Player 12 as we speak. Image credit: geeky-gadgets.com

Kingston HyperX RAM Sets Two New World Overclocking Records Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:37 AM PST A couple of Swiss overclockers set a pair of memory overclocking records using a 2GB dual-channel kit of Kingston's high frequency HyperX DDR3-2544 memory (KHX2544C9D3T1FK2/2GX). It's the fastest dual-channel memory kit around, and thanks to Roger Tanner "splmann" and Marc Voser "Besi," it's also the kit responsible for setting frequency records at CAS 6 and CAS 8. At CAS 6, the overclocking duo pushed the kit to 3095MHz, and at CAS 8 it topped out at 3175MHz. These are the fastest frequencies ever for each respective CAS latency. It's no shocker that it took some serious cooling to set these records. The team used liquid nitrogen, first fixing the memory slots in a cooler made from aluminum and copper. Kingston says the cooler had a basin at the top, which was filled with -196C liquid nitrogen. Image Credit: Flickr (Kingstno Technology EMEA)

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MMO News

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• Microvolts to Launch Update
• Jagged Alliance and UFO Online two-pack Beta Announcement
• Star Supremacy Launches Ship Design Contest
• WindSlayer 2 Officially Launches
• Pangya Releases New Map, Events
• Dungeons & Dragons releases Update 12
• Aeria Games Interview: New Partnerships & Games
• Tribes Ascend Gameplay – First Look HD

Microvolts to Launch Update Posted: 09 Nov 2011 02:33 PM PST Microvolts announced a new update, set to release on 11/10/2011.  Players have a chance to win exclusive parts and accessories in the all-new capsule machine.  A brand new Weapon Upgrade System is part of the update as well. Each spin of the capsule machine earns players “Luck Points” which increases the odds of winning the jackpot of hundreds of thousands of Micro Points.  The weapon upgrade system offers players a chance to increase the stats of their permanent weapons, with a variety of possibilities for each. Microvolts is published by Rock Hippo Productions. Microvolts Gameplay Screenshot Source: MICROVOLTS HAS LADY LUCK ON ITS SIDE WITH AN ALL-NEW UPDATE LAUNCHING TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 10TH “Luck and Load” Update Tests Players’ Luck With An All-New Capsule Machine And Introduces A Brand New Weapon Upgrade System Markham, Canada November  9, 2011 – Rock Hippo Productions announced today it will launch an exciting new update for the popular cartoon style third-person shooter, MicroVolts.   Starting tomorrow, November 10th, players can test their luck for a chance to win exclusive parts and accessories featured in the all-new Capsule Machine.  Players can also check out a brand new Weapons Upgrade System as part of the latest Luck and Load Update.  To download and play the game for free, players can visit www.MicroVolts.com. As part of MicroVolts‘ new Capsule Machine feature, players can take a shot at winning exclusive parts and accessory items such as the highly coveted, but extremely rare, “Gold Rifle” or the “Musashi” (Samurai) outfit for the popular character, C.H.I.P.   With each spin, players gain Luck Points which increases their chance at winning the ultimate jackpot prize of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of Micro Points! In addition to the Capsule Machine , MicroVolts is also launching a brand-new Weapon Upgrade System that will dramatically intensify gameplay for both casual and competitive players!  Through acquiring Energy, players can fill their Battery in order to upgrade their permanent weapons.  Everything from an improvement in the accuracy of a rifle, a faster run speed while wielding a melee weapon or  an increase in the damage radius of a grenade launcher is all possible with this new feature! “Every time our players think we have packed as much fun and excitement into MicroVolts as possible we surprise them by giving them even more!,” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions.  “I think players can tell from this latest update that we are committed to listening to our community about the items and features they covet.  We encourage our players to continue to share their feedback because after all, this is their game.” To view the all-new screen shots and download and play the game for free, players can visit www.MicroVolts.com.

Jagged Alliance and UFO Online two-pack Beta Announcement Posted: 09 Nov 2011 02:27 PM PST gamigo has announced that closed beta for both Jagged Alliance Online and UFO Online will begin soon.  Both games are browser based, but offer completely different objectives. UFO Online launches today, and focuses on PvP battles between three factions.  Players conquer territory by defeating other players and aliens.  Crafting will be important, as will weapon and item enhancement. Jagged Alliance will be released in a few days and is geared towards players who want mission based combat with AI that is set to be incredible.  They may choose from a pool of 60 mercenaries and keep them up to date on equipment and skills.  PvP will be added into the game later. gamigo also publishes King of Kings 3 and Cultures Online. Jagged Alliance Online Gameplay Screenshot Source: Jagged Alliance Online and UFO Online – closed beta testing of gamigo’s strategy games two-pack starting soon! Hamburg, November 9, 2011 – Fans of turn-based strategy games have twice as much reason to be happy these days: gamigo is gearing up two games, Jagged Alliance Online and UFO Online – Fight for Earth, both from series that players know and love, for closed beta testing. Although both games follow the same basic principles and can be played in a browser, the objectives of the two games could not be any different. UFO Online – Fight for Earth is starting today and focuses on PvP battles between the three factions competing for global domination. Territories are conquered by defeating players from other factions or aliens. Another important feature is crafting and enhancing weapons and other equipment. Players will need to keep expanding their headquarters to gain access to better opportunities. Jagged Alliance Online will follow in a few days and is aimed at players looking for awesome AI with a variety of behavior patterns and exciting missions. Players choose their favorites from a pool of more than 60 mercenaries and then equip and train them in the expandable headquarters. PvP content will be added to the game at a later date. Registration for beta testing can be found on each game’s official website.

Star Supremacy Launches Ship Design Contest Posted: 09 Nov 2011 02:18 PM PST Barbily Games has announced a ship designing contest for Star Supremacy.  From now until 11/30/2011, players can create their dream ship and submit it for voting.  Players can submit drawings, videos, photographs or whatever can be seen easily by staff and community alike.  Various awards will be given, and players winning awards for designs will have their ship implemented within Star Supremacy. There is also a competition to win a gaming headset, details of which are found on the game’s Facebook page. Star Supremacy is currently the only game offered in North America by Barbily Games. Star Supremacy Gameplay Screenshot Source: Star Supremacy launches new Ship Designing Contest! Suzhou, China – November 9, 2011 – If players want to play a game that offers a lot of events with big points, Star Supremacy is definitely the game to play these days.  Barbily Games has announced a new contest for its players, a ship designing contest.  From now until the end of the month (11/30/2011), players will have the chance to create their own interpretation of their dream ship and submit it for voting.  Submissions can be in any form (photograph, drawing, video, etc.) as long as it can be seen easily by the staff and community.  Rewards will be given out in different areas (best design, outstanding design, best idea, and participation) and to players who win rewards for design, their ship designs will be implemented into the game. “We want to make players feel rewarded for playing our game.  Star Supremacy is getting ready to launch into Open Beta soon and we want users to feel like they are a part of the game by doing something creative.  I think this is going to be a fun, challenging, and rewarding challenge for our players.” noted Thomas Liu, Senior Business Director. Please check out the official website for more information, announcements, and events as Star Supremacy launches or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/Star_Supremacy and Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Star-Supremacy/167124213363092?sk=wall.  You can also follow us on Raptr at http://raptr.com/game/Star-Supremacy. Star Supremacy is currently hosting a facebook event.  3 random players will be selected to win a gaming headset once the facebook page reaches 30,000 likes.

WindSlayer 2 Officially Launches Posted: 09 Nov 2011 02:12 PM PST WindSlayer 2 has officially launched today.  The game is a 2D side-scroller that offers arcade-like gaming and fairytale-like graphics to draw players into the world of Beuritania. WindSlayer 2 promises a variety of skills and spells, along with items to help defeat enemies. The game also offers a pet system and a mentoring system.  Fans of the game who create a website devoted to WindSlayer 2 may also submit their page to win in-game cash shop currency. WindSlayer 2 is published by Ignited Games.  This is their first North American release. WindSlayer 2 Gameplay Screenshot Source: WindSlayer 2 Slashes into Commercial Launch Ignited Games Officially Launches its Fast Action, 2D Online RPG, WindSlayer 2 EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Nov. 3, 2011 – Calling all online mages and warriors: The world ofWindSlayer 2 is officially open to explore and conquer. Ignited Games’ 2D, side-scrolling, multi-player, online role-playing game (RPG) is live and ready for action. Fans of online fantasy free-to-play games can sign up now to play WindSlayer 2 at the game’s official site. “The detailed visuals, fast-paced action and community features in WindSlayer 2 really raise the bar for 2D side-scrolling online RPGs,” said Peter Kang, CEO of Ignited Games. “Fans will find classic arcade-style gameplay with a unique art style that immerses players in the beautiful, fairytale-like world of Beuritania.” The game puts players on a journey in Beuritania to defeat hordes of monsters using acquirable skills, magic spells and items. Building on its predecessor, WindSlayer 2 features updated gameplay and in-game systems such as the pet and mentor systems that add re-playability. The commercial launch will include the in-game Playground, which includes community features that connect WindSlayer 2 fans. Players can invite friends and guild members into private rooms for in-game socializing and community building. There also are multiple room scenarios to choose from, allowing players to party with a plan. Furthermore, players who open a new WindSlayer 2 fansite, or run an existing one, can email their site’s URL to WS2community@ignitedgames.com by Wednesday, Nov. 30 with “Fansite” in the subject line for a chance to win iCash, in-game currency for all of Ignited’s games. Based on design, functionality and overall creativity, Ignited Games will choose the top three sites and award 10,000, 5,000 and 2,500 iCash to the first, second and third place winners, respectively. Also, the three winning sites will be featured on the WindSlayer 2 website. Online gamers can now cast spells and clash swords as they fight foes and lay claim to rare treasures in WindSlayer 2 by visiting the game’s website athttp://ws2.ignitedgames.com/. For the latest updates on WindSlayer 2, fans can “Like” the game on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WindSlayer2.

Pangya Releases New Map, Events Posted: 09 Nov 2011 02:04 PM PST SG Interactive has announced the release of a new course for Pangya: Wiz City.  The seventeenth course offered in the free-to-play golf MMO, Wiz City has some new obstacles to challenge players with.  The new course also offers an item for players that complete each of the four courses offered in the update. Players can also compete for prizes by creating videos for the new course. The top three videos will receive a grand prize, however, everyone that participates will earn something. SG Interactive also publishes Trickster Online and Grand Chase. Pangya Gameplay Screenshot Source: SG Interactive Delivers New Map, Events for Pangya United and Trickster Online Irvine, Calif. – Nov. 9, 2011 – This November marks one of the biggest months yet for free-to-play publisher SG Interactive (SGI). Delivering new content and events to two of its most popular games, SGI kicks off the month by introducing Pangya United’s "Wiz City" course. Positioned squarely in the wizard and sorcerers' district, Wiz City will provide challenges for even the most experienced golfer. November is also the fifth-year anniversary of Trickster Online, and SGI is rolling out the red carpet to celebrate. Players new and old are invited to commemorate the occasion in style with a lineup of events, updates, and in-game opportunities and prizes. As Pangya United's seventeenth course, Wiz City will challenge players with the following: ·         Magic Carpets o   Look out for special purple areas on the new course because the Magic Carpets will bounce players' golf balls all over the place! Players who can master the ricochet can use these carpets to lower their scores. ·         Spinning Cubes o   Giant spinning cubes with question marks can be found throughout the course, and they contain player gifts! Hit these cubes with comets to find out which rare item they contain. However, to open the cubes, players must acquire the Keys of Fortune by logging in every day or purchasing them at the Pangya Shop. ·         Pang Coins o   Players can find massive Pang Coins floating around the course. Any shot that comes close to the coins will gather them for the player. At the end of each game, collected Pang Coins will convert to generous amount of experience points and in-game currency. To celebrate the official launch of the Wiz City course in Pangya United, players can also participate in two new Wiz City events that expand on the warm-up events from October: ·         Wiz City Tutorial Video Contest o   Eager Wiz City explorers can put their course know-how to work through the Wiz City video contest. Gamers can enter the contest by creating a video of at least two minutes introducing other players to any aspect of the new course. The three best videos will receive a grand prize, but all participants will receive small tokens of appreciation. Gamers have until Wednesday, Nov. 30 to submit their entries. ·         Wiz City and the Sorcerer's Stone o   In addition to tournaments and contests, the new course will be the site of a treasure hunt. Players who complete the West Wiz, White Wiz, Wiz Wiz and Wiz City courses by Tuesday, Nov. 22 will find magical Sorcerer's Stones on each course. These stones can then be pieced together to form the rare Wizard Hat item. The Wiz City course and its events are ready for players to explore through the Pangya United official website. For up-to-date information about the game, players can "Like" the Pangya United Facebook page.

Dungeons & Dragons releases Update 12 Posted: 09 Nov 2011 12:15 PM PST Update 12 is the latest of the Dungeons and Dragons Online’s major updates, and is now live in North America. The update adds the new Challenges system (free for VIPs), which includes mini-games at multiple difficulties that let players collect resources they can exchange for loot; four new armor appearance kits; and new Gold Seal Hirelings. In addition, the Artificer class is now unlockable as a favor reward through Update 11 and 12 content for free players. Dungeons and Dragons Online is published by Turbine, which also publishes The Lord of the Rings Online. Dungeons & Dragons Online Gameplay Screenshot Source: The Era of Magic Continues with DDO's Update 12: Vaults of the Artificer! Turbine announced today that the latest update for Dungeons & Dragons Online, one of the world's best free to play massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG), is now live! New features include: Challenges System: •        Play in Challenges and collect valuable resources to barter for cool loot! •        Choose your level of difficulty-multiple levels available! •        Stay on your toes with a host of new mini-games! •        Free for VIPs! Artificer Class — Can now be earned as a favor reward by playing Update 11 and 12 content! Challenge Powerups — Get a competitive edge from the DDO Store with buffs such as speed, power and invisibility! Platinum Sharing — Share platinum across your characters on the same server! First tier free for VIPs! Armor Appearance — 4 new Armor appearance kit lines available-including two exclusive to Warforged! Purchase Gold Seal Hirelings two levels above your character! And Much More!

Aeria Games Interview: New Partnerships & Games Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:13 AM PST The past two months for Aeria Games have been particularly busy – the company has forged a new partnership to host EA’s Play4Free games (starting with Battlefield Heroes), acquired Punch Entertainment and forged a new mobile gaming division, and has launched a new browser-based MMORTS, Golden Age. MMOHut spoke with JT Nguyen, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Aeria Games, to take a more in-depth look at Aeria Games’ latest successes. What led up to the partnership between EA and Aeria Games? There was good synergy between EA and Aeria Games. From our early discussions, it was recognized that both sides were in synch with how to further capitalize on the exploding free to play online game business space.  Of course, EA has fantastic content which we felt could complement our own portfolio of games.  We've been extremely successful with how we've operated our business, which I think is what drew EA to us in the first place. They recognized that Aeria Games is very strong on monetization and has an industry-leading ARPPU, so it seemed like a great fit.   How do you plan to draw players into the EA titles as they are added to Aeria’s portal? Starting with Battlefield Heroes which we launched a few weeks ago, we will market the EA games both externally to new players as well as to Aeria Games’ existing and growing user base of over 24 million distinct power gamers. The Aeria Games audience is very active and engaged, so we feel they will find and enjoy the EA titles when they come to play our games. What kind of growth do you expect to see with the new business deals with both EA and Punch Entertainment? Aeria Games has been kind of quietly operating and steadily growing, but we are now in a more aggressive phase of our business which is exciting for us. EA represents Aeria Games’ first major distribution deal with a Western developer. We will continue to expand our portfolio with Western-developed content and are in discussion with a number of such potential partners. We established our first in-house mobile game development studio with the acquisition of the team from Punch Entertainment, which we're very excited about. We will continue to develop and publish mobile and browser games, whether in-house or externally. Battlefield Heroes Gameplay Screenshot Why does Aeria Games want to head into the mobile gaming market? Aeria Games has a tremendously valuable user base of over 24 million power gamers. Our players like to play high quality and engaging games–whether on their PCs at home, or on their mobile devices while riding a train, or in the mall waiting for their significant others to shop. Further, our players are very versed of the free-to-play, virtual-item-transaction gaming model. Expanding into mobile is a natural extension as Aeria Games continues to grow. Our goal is to become the leading destination for free-to-play multiplayer games, whether the games are on the PC, browser, or mobile platforms. Does Aeria Games still plan to appeal to less casual gamers in the mobile gaming market? At least initially, our focus on mobile will be on hardcore to medium core games, which is the bulk of our players, all with a multiplayer focus.  (The less casual mobile games that we have launched to date are mostly for test-marketing purposes.) What kind of integration between MMOs and mobile devices would Aeria like to see? We would love to see games that can be played across devices. For example:  A player playing a PC client game can play a minigame on his smartphone to level up his character while he is away from his computer. He then brings the leveled up character back to the PC client game. Aeria Games already shows a broad portfolio of game genres, but what kind of games would you like to add to diversify it further? Our goal is to become the leading destination for free-to-play multiplayer games, whether the games are on the PC, browser, or mobile platforms. We're not looking for any particular type of genre to expand our portfolio; instead we look at opportunities to bring great experiences to lots of players with a good revenue model. Eden Eternal Gameplay Screenshot What do you do to encourage players to spend more time per day in game? We select games with compelling gameplay, and we strive to create fun and supportive communities, backed with excellent customer service. We find that compelling in-game events and competitions help, too. How do you keep your players involved, even when they’re not in game? We are increasing our communication efforts to our communities, including direct emails, newsletters, and updates. We also reach out with posts to our Facebook community. What is the key into drawing new players into Aeria Games? With the rapid growth of social media gaming in recent years, the potential audience for our games has expanded enormously. The key is communicating the benefits of our downloadable games, and showing that we have games for a wide range of interests, from more casual and anime-themed games like Eden Eternal and Grand Fantasia, to more intense fantasy and PVP games like Shaiya and Last Chaos, to action games like our FPS Wolf Team. What is the biggest lesson Aeria Games has learned in the past five years in the North American market? It's been an amazing five years for us. We have definitely learned a lot but also had a lot of successes, all of which we thank our loyal players for.  I say this because the biggest lesson we've learned from has been how to balance the business needs with the player needs, with the latter being the anchor for us. We are extremely data driven in terms of how we operate as a business, as well as how we monitor and react to our player needs and behavior.  This is of course common practice for online game companies but for Aeria Games, I think our ability to both anticipate and react timely to our players to ensure an engaging and robust experience has been what has helped us to stand apart from others. Golden Age Gameplay Screenshot What do you feel Golden Age brings to the Aeria Games portfolio? Well, off the bat, Golden Age is exclusive to us so the only place you can play the game is on Aeria Games, which we're extremely excited about as it's a great game. For those not familiar with Golden Age, it is an innovative browser game with refined gameplay, combining an expansive strategy game with roleplaying elements.  It pushes forward the web Real-Time Strategy genre with upgrades in graphics, in-game systems, and player options.  Golden Age has done well for us in the short amount of time since its launch, and we've got high hopes for it in terms of translating to another global hit for Aeria Games. We will have more exciting news to share about Golden Age in the coming weeks/months, but for now are focused on delivering a great game to our players. What features may be in the works for Golden Age to make it stand out even more as a browser-based strategy game? We have a number of projects underway to expand the game even further. We are working on the interactive RPG town, Sanctum City, where players receive quests from a motley assortment of NPCs or meet and greet other players using Golden Age‘s innovative avatar system in the town center. We also have real-time map data where players can boost strategy options with three map modes. This will help determine the movement direction of enemy troops and whether a castle is under attack, among other detailed map data. Last but not least, we have our Battlefield tournament system. Battlefield is a recurring in-game tourney where players can demonstrate their abilities without risking their valuable units and losing troops in the normal persistent world.

Tribes Ascend Gameplay – First Look HD Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:45 AM PST To Learn More About the Game, Check out our Tribes Ascend Page. Tribes Ascend is a 3D Futuristic FPS with MMO progression elements. The game is published by Hi-Rez the same studio behind Global Agenda. Tribes Ascend is a sequel to the original Tribes and Tribes 2 which were buy to play games published in the late nineties.  The game is currently in closed beta but no more character wipes are planned so any progress made now will persist into live. To learn more about Tribes Ascend check out the official MMOHut DC Universe Online page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.

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