General Gaming Article

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• Razer Announces 14-inch Razer Blade Laptop
• Microsoft Teases Return of Start Button in Windows 8.1
• PCKeeper Antivirus Tests Pay-What-You-Want Business Model
• Acer Upgrades $199 Chromebook Model with Faster Storage
• Newegg Daily Deals: Graphics Cards Galore!
• AMD's Opteron X-Series Processors to Challenge Atom in Microserver Market
• GeForce GTX 770 Benchmarks

Razer Announces 14-inch Razer Blade Laptop Posted: 30 May 2013 07:40 PM PDT The gaming laptop that's thinner than a dime Today Razer announced a 14-inch version of the Razer Blade. Known simply as the Razer Blade (yea, we don't get this new-age naming conventions either), the small gaming laptop is incredibly svelte being thinner than a standing dime. Measuring .66 inches tall, Razer boasts that it is the world's thinnest gaming laptop and that it is actually skinnier than the fattest section of a MacBook Air.  Though the notebook is extremely slim, Razer says that it will have beefy components and will come with either an Core i5 or i7 Haswell CPU and an Nvidia's GeForce GTX 765M GPU. In terms of storage, the laptop will come with either a 128, 256, or 512GB SSD (this means no mechanical hard drive).  Other features of the notebook include a 16x9 matte screen, a battery life capable of six hours, and Dolby speakers outfitted with the sound company's Home Theater Version 4 software. In terms of ports, the laptop is pretty barebones and comes with three usb 3.0 ports and an HDMI port. To ensure its portability, the new Razer Blade will also come with a small and light 150-watt power supply. Razer Blade Specs •      Future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor (formerly codename 'Haswell') •      8 GB Onboard Memory (DDR3L – 1600 MHz) •      NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600 •      Windows® 8 64 Bit •      128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA) •      Qualcomm® Killer™ NIC N1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth® 4.0) •      14.0 in. HD+ 16:9 Ratio, 1600 x 900, with LED backlight •      Built-in stereo speakers •      3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack •      Array microphone •      (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed) •      HDMI 1.4a audio and video output •      Dolby® Home Theater® v4 •      7.1 Codec support (via HDMI) •      Built-in full HD webcam (1.3 MP) •      Compact 150 W Power Adapter •      Built-in 70 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery •      Razer™ Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight) •      Razer™ Synapse 2.0 Enabled •      Kensington Lock •      13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 0.66 in. / 16.8 mm (Height) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth) •      4.135 lbs. / 1.876 kg Pricing for the unit will start at $1,799 and you'll be able to pre-order it starting June 3.  17-inch Razer Blade Pro In addition to the 14-inch form factor, Razer also announced a refresh model for its 17.3-inch Razer Blade unit. Now dubbed the "Razer Blade Pro," the larger laptop will also come with the same GeForce GTX 765M GPU and Haswell CPUs in either Core i5 or i7 configurations. Performance-wise, the company asserts the owners will be able to see up to two times the speed boost in certain games compared to its predecessor. Furthermore, the Razer Blade Pro will be upgraded from a 60-watt hour battery to a 74-watt hour battery.   Chassis wise, the laptop will use the same industrial design (ID) as its 17.3-inch predecessor which means it will retain its relatively thin .88-inch thickness and 6.5-pound weight along with the same matte TN panel.  Razer Blade Pro Specs •      Future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor (formerly codename 'Haswell') •      8 GB DDR3L (2 x 4 GB 1600MHz) •      NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600 •      Windows 8 64 Bit •      128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA) •      Qualcomm® Killer™ NIC N1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth® 4.0) •      17.3-in. Full HD 16:9 Ratio, 1920 x 1080, with LED backlight •      Stereo 2.0 speakers •      3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack •      HD Webcam (front-facing, 2.0 MP) •      Array microphones •      (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed) •      Codec supports 7.1 (via HDMI 1.4) •      Dolby® Home Theater® v4 •      Razer™ Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight) •      Razer™ Switchblade User Interface •      Razer™ Synapse 2.0 Enabled •      Built-in 74 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery •      Kensington Lock •      16.8 in. / 427 mm (Width) x 0.88 in. / 22.4 mm (Height) x 10.9 in. / 277 mm (Depth) •      6.58 lbs. / 2.98 kg The refreshed Razer Blade Pro unit will be available for $2,299 which is roughly $200 less compared to its older counterpart. Pre-orders for it will also open beginning June 3. The company also announced that indie developers will be able to purchase the Razer Blade Pro for the discounted rate of $999, although the company vaguely had a foot note on a slide that read, "terms and conditions apply."  For images of the 14-inch Razer Blade, check out our gallery below!

Microsoft Teases Return of Start Button in Windows 8.1 Posted: 30 May 2013 12:31 PM PDT This isn't the Start button you're looking for. Sound the trumpets and cue the chorus line to begin singing songs of praise, Microsoft is bringing back the Start button! That's right, in a sneak peek at Windows 8.1, the Redmond software giant displayed the Start button's triumphant return, which at a glance is cause for celebration. Are you excited!? Well, don't be. Sorry to play with your emotions like that, but even though the Start button is making a return, clicking it only drops you right back into the modern UI. You can toss those trumpets aside and tell the chorus line to put a sock in it. Surely Microsoft must know that the disdain for its decision to remove the Start button in the first place has nothing to do with users wanting a quicker way to jump back into the tiled UI. Nevertheless, the company isn't willing to concede that a real Start button -- one that will bring up a list of programs and settings -- is truly needed, so this is what you get, along with the ability to now boot directly to the Desktop (as well as other screens), so at least there's that. Grumble, grumble...let's move on. Microsoft says you'll be able to do more to personalize their experience in Windows 8.1, starting with the ability to load up a slide show of pictures on the Lock screen. These can be photos that are stored locally or in the cloud in SkyDrive. You can also take pictures from a device's built-in camera from the Lock screen, negating the need to first log-in. Global search results, improvements to built-in apps, updated PC settings, and better mouse and keyboard options are all part of the many upgrades Microsoft will introduce in Windows 8.1, which will be available later this year as a free update to Windows 8. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

PCKeeper Antivirus Tests Pay-What-You-Want Business Model Posted: 30 May 2013 11:55 AM PDT Security software vendor lets YOU set the price. One of the arguments software pirates throw around for stealing digital content is because they can't afford the asking price. That doesn't exempt them from the moral implications of paying for versus stealing software, but what if a company was willing to let you set your own price? It's not a new concept -- there's the awesome Humble Indie Bundles, and we've seen music artists go this route, too -- but it's not something we've seen among security vendors, until now. A company called Kromtech is letting its customers decide how much or how little to pay for its PCKeeper security software. Pitched as an all-in-one security solution, PCKeeper is a collection of 14 different tools bundled in a single application, including antivirus, anti-theft, file recovery, disk cleaner, and several other tools. "Letting people choose their own price is an interesting way to open up our product to consumers who price shop and also build trust with those customers once they use the software and see just how useful it is. The belief is that once users try it they will like it and they will tell their friends they are PCKeeper user," says PCKeeper Communications Manager Ilias Melikov. The software normally runs $40, though you can pay as little as $1 or as much as $80. What's it really worth? Well, we've never heard of the program, let alone used it, though a little research led us to discover that it's a ZeoBit product, which you can find entries for in Virus Bulletin's comparatives. A Kromtech rep tells us that PCKeeper goes one step further than any other AV program by including a human element that actually looks at the reports the program generates for system errors or conflicts. "We call it Human Inside and we are the only ones who do it," Kromtech tells Maximum PC. Intrigued? You can find out more on PCKeeper's website. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer Upgrades $199 Chromebook Model with Faster Storage Posted: 30 May 2013 09:29 AM PDT Be on the lookout for new Chromebook models. Psst! Hey, you there. Yes, you, the one browsing Acer's C7 Chromebook. Which would you rather have, capacity or speed? Speed, you say? Well in that case, go ahead and take that Chromebook out of your shopping cart and head over to Best Buy. It's there that you'll find the first of several planned new models in Acer's C7 Chromebook line, including an upgraded version of the $199 model you were holding. Acer swapped out the 320GB mechanical hard disk drive (HDD) for a 16GB solid state drive (SSD). You don't need to be a math major to figure out that there's a pretty big discrepancy in storage space there, but keep in mind that Chromebooks are all about living in the cloud. What you lose in capacity, Acer says you make up in performance. The new Acer C710-2833 follows in Samsung's footsteps by switching to an SSD, only the price remains unchanged, so Acer's model is still $50 cheaper and the least the expensive Chromebook model around. In case you need a refresher on the other specs, it boasts: 11.6-inch display (1366x768 resolution) Intel Celeron 847 processor clocked at 1.1GHz 2GB RAM 16GB SSD Intel HD Graphics 2-in-1 memory card reader Three USB 2.0 ports HDMI 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi; 10/100 Ethernet LAN 4-cell battery Google Chrome OS It's not a bad buy for the money if you're looking for a secondary PC to surf the web with, or need a machine for the kids. You can't run Windows software on it, obviously, but there are tons of apps available, plus you can access Google's various services like Docs, Gmail, and so forth. It's basically today's take on the netbook. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Graphics Cards Galore! Posted: 30 May 2013 09:13 AM PDT Top Deal: We've been inundated with new GPU releases lately, which inevitably means price drops on older parts. If you're in need of a video card upgrade, we have plenty to sift through, including today's top deal for an EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) FTW Hydro Copper 2 for $340 with free shipping (normall $540 - additional $40 mail-in-rebate). This part has a license to chill courtesy of its Hydro Copper waterblock, and it fits in a single slot! Other Deals: XFX Double D Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card for $200 with free shipping (normally $230 - additional $30 mail-in rebate; Free games with purchase) HIS IceQ  Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card for $220 with free shipping (normally $250; Free games with purchase) PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card for $110 with free shipping  (normally $120 - additional $20 mail-in rebate; Free games with purchase) Sapphire Radeon HD 6670 1GB Low Profile Video Card for $85 with shipping for $3(normally $90 - additional $15 mail-in rebate)

AMD's Opteron X-Series Processors to Challenge Atom in Microserver Market Posted: 30 May 2013 08:34 AM PDT AMD makes a run at Atom. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) this week announced a new family of low power server processors optimized for scale-out server architectures. The Sunnyvale chip designer also attached a couple of interesting claims to its new Opteron X Series, formerly known as "Kyoto," the first of which is that these are the highest density, most power-efficient small core x86 processors ever built. The other claim has to do with how they compare to Intel's top Atom chip. Compared to Intel's Atom S1260 processor, AMD says its new X1150 and X2150 processors trump Santa Clara's part in key performance benchmarks, including single-thread and throughput performance by way of more cores, more L2 cache, a more advanced pipeline architecture, higher integration, and support for up to 32GB of DRAM, which is four times more than Atom supports. "The data center is at an inflection point and requires a high number of cores in a dense form factor with integrated graphics, massive amounts of DRAM and unprecedented power efficiency to keep up with the pace of innovation of Internet services," said Andrew Feldman, corporate vice president and general manager, Server Business Unit at AMD. "AMD has a proud history of server innovation, and the AMD Opteron X-Series processors challenge the status quo by providing unmatched capabilities to drive the most energy-efficient servers in the industry." AMD's new Opteron X chips consist of four Jaguar 64-bit x86 cores. The X1150 is strictly a CPU clocked at 2GHz, whereas the X2150 is an APU clocked at 1.9GHz with 128 Radeon HD 8000 cores. Both parts boast 2MP of L2 cache, the former rated at 9-17W TDP and the latter at 11-22W TDP. The X1150 costs $64 and the X2150 runs $99, both prices representative of 1,000 unit tray quantities. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

GeForce GTX 770 Benchmarks Posted: 30 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Nvidia delivers a juiced GK104 in the GeForce GTX 770 Today the embargo lifts on the second GeForce GTX 700 series GPU to be announced in a week's time; the Titan-cooled but GK104-powered GeForce GTX 770. Unlike the GTX 780 announced last week, this card does not use the monstrous GK110 GPU, but instead opts for a highly-clocked version of the GK104 chip found previously in the GeForce GTX 680, GTX 670, and GTX 660 Ti. It's the highest clocked-part of all of those cards though, and also has 7Gb/s memory instead of the 6Gb/s variety found in all the previous Kepler cards, giving it a signficant bump in memory bandwidth. It also features all the cool features we've already covered in our GTX 780 article, including GPU Boost 2.0 and Adaptive Fan Control. If you haven't read that article, go check it out right here. The GTX 770 will also be offered in both 2GB and 4GB flavors, and Nvidia's board partners will be offering boards that are overclocked even more than the Nvidia reference design as well. The GeForce GTX 770 will retail for $400, though versions that are overclocked or have more memory will obviously cost a bit more, but we don't have the exact prices for you as of press time. Watch this space, as we'll add information about the new cards as it comes in today. GTX 770 specs Here are the GTX 770's specs. You will note this is the highest-clocked GK104 GPU to roll off the fab yet, and its memory is also the highest clocked that we've ever seen on a GTX board. And with that sweet Titan cooler, not to mention what third-parties can come up with, you can expect even more overclocking and overvolting goodness. The card is the same 10.5-inch length as the GTX 780 and Titan, and also uses one six-pin and one eight-pin PCIe connector, which is two more pins than what is found on the GTX 670.   How Fast is The GTX 770? We ran all of our tests on our standard GPU test bench, which consists of an Intel Core i7-3960X CPU, 16GB of RAM and an Asus PX79 motherboard, so this system is no slouch. In our tests we saw what we think is the basic argument for the GTX 770, which is you get GTX 680 performance for $400, which is a great deal. Based on the marketing materials we received from Nvidia prior to launch it seems like the company's target for this card was the HD 7970, though we threw the HD 7950 into our chart too since it was the GTX 670's nemesis. Looking at the chart, all three of these cards - the GTX 770, GTX 680, and HD 7970 GHz are damn close to one another, but the rub is that the GTX 770 is the least expensive, and the most silent, of all of them. The HD 7950 is a lot more competitive though, as a quick check on Newegg shows you can get one for around $300 including Tomb Raider, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, and Bioshock Infinite. That's a tough deal to pass up, and we think the GTX 770 will be a bit of a tougher sell for Nvidia than the GTX 780 or the Titan, which for now stand alone as the leaders in their price range. Then there's word of some new AMD cards arriving soon so it looks like the $400 price point is about to get real interesting, especially when prices on the GTX 670 and GTX 680 drop now that the GTX 770 has been announced. Will AMD hit back hard, and will we also see a GTX 760 Ti soon? We certainly can't wait to find out.

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MMO Updates

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• Ask Massively: You can't cover WoW because of reasons
• Rhode Island explores ditching 38 Studios debt
• The Think Tank: The best MMO of 2013... so far
• Anarchy in the APB
• The Daily Grind: What obscure fluff feature would you like to see in other games?
• Free for All: Interviewing Achaea's Matt Mihaly for MUD May
• Shadowrun Online devs explain F2P model
• EVE Online lays down Alliance Tournament rules
• Nerd Kingdom details TUG's death mechanics
• Snail Games to show off Black Gold, Age of Wushu expansion at E3
• Spacetime Studios celebrates 260 million play sessions with massive infographic
• Gain a clearer understanding of RIFT's new REX
• Wildstar Wednesday: Caste, ritual and the ascension of an emperor god
• Guild Wars 2 data mining finds evidence of LFG tool
• Choose My Adventure: Putting the finishing touches on our Darkfall project
• Scarlet Blade reveals first major content update

Ask Massively: You can't cover WoW because of reasons Posted: 30 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Community Q&A, Miscellaneous, Diablo III, MMORPG When I took over Massively last fall, I made myself a little digital post-it note in Gmail Notes that read, "Remember: You work for Joystiq, not studios." Today, I've amended that to also read, "And not commenters." I love commenters, even the trolls sometimes when you make me laugh. You guys provide instant feedback and adoration but also entertainment and skepticism of our ideas. You're the much-maligned vocal minority of readers, and interacting with you guys and being enlightened by your mad and witty and insane posts is a highlight of my work day. But it has to be said that the most bizarre feature of working at Massively is that legions of commenters have deemed themselves better-equipped than we are to decide what we can cover. Continue reading Ask Massively: You can't cover WoW because of reasons Ask Massively: You can't cover WoW because of reasons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rhode Island explores ditching 38 Studios debt Posted: 30 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, Miscellaneous To pay back or not to back, that is the question that Rhode Island is exploring after being saddled with $112.6 million in combined debt and interest when 38 Studios went kaput, taking Project Copernicus with it. RI governor Lincoln Chafee still believes that lenders should get their due according to his spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger, but the administration is gathering data to explore the cost of not paying back to get an understanding of "the ramifications of what that decision would be." Currently the state is planning to pay investors back over the course of 10 years, with a $2.5 million payment the first year and subsequent installments of $12.5 million thereafter. Rhode Island explores ditching 38 Studios debt originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Games Industry International

The Think Tank: The best MMO of 2013... so far Posted: 30 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank At the end of each year, we like to put our heads together and figure out the year's best MMOs in several categories. Often times, the games released earlier in the year aren't as fresh in our memories, so we might not be as excited about them by the time December rolls around. But in this week's The Think Tank, I wanted to make sure to play off of that mid-year enthusiasm and have the team members pick their favorites as they stand at this halfway point. So what did the team pick for best MMO or expansion released from January to May 2013? Read on past the cut to find out. Continue reading The Think Tank: The best MMO of 2013... so far The Think Tank: The best MMO of 2013... so far originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Anarchy in the APB Posted: 30 May 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: PvP, Free-to-Play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Dev Diaries If you think drive-by shootings, exploding vehicles, and an epidemic of robbery and murder on the streets of San Paro wasn't enough anarchy for you, GamersFirst has just introduced Chaos Mode to its crime MMO APB: Reloaded. Joining a Chaos district will put you into a survival mode that allows you to gain points by killing as many players of the opposite faction as possible. All of the district's contacts are gone, replaced by vendors. So there's no other mission but to kill, and kill quickly. A leaderboard tracks the best of the best and several new titles and a new role have been added. You can check out an early prototype of Chaos Mode in the game between now and June 6. [Thanks to Derek for the tip!] Anarchy in the APB originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Chaos Mode info

The Daily Grind: What obscure fluff feature would you like to see in other games? Posted: 30 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Warhammer Online, Opinion, The Daily Grind The other day I was thinking about Warhammer Online. I've no idea why. I haven't played the game in ages and to be perfectly frank, I didn't much care for it when I was playing. One thing I fondly recall, though, was that nifty feature that let you display medals and assorted military-style decorations on your avatar. I can't recall seeing that in another MMO, and it's one of those quirky quality-of-life things that I wish every game would implement. What about you, Massively readers? Is there an obscure fluff feature out there you're particularly fond of and that you'd like to see become a standard? 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 obscure fluff feature would you like to see in other games? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Free for All: Interviewing Achaea's Matt Mihaly for MUD May Posted: 29 May 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, Interviews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Roleplaying, Community Q&A, Free for All, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Sandbox MUD May has been a very enjoyable experience, but the main thing I learned is that a month is not long enough to cover all of MUDdom. Not by a long shot. The fact is that MUDs have a much longer history than graphical, 3-D MMOs, and here we are on an entire site dedicated mainly to those! We owe a lot to MUDs, but I always try to point out to current or former players that we should not refer to these games only in the past-tense. They are still alive, filled with players and ongoing. That means they are just as viable and worthy of mention as World of Warcraft. How many of our favorite 3-D MMOs will be around for two or more decades? These wonderful games do need to improve in many areas, though. Some MUD developers are attempting to bring these text-based MMOs into the future, none better than Iron Realms Entertainment's Achaea. I sat down with Matt Mihaly, the CEO and Founder of Iron Realms since 1995, for an interview to talk about Achaea and the future of MUDs. Continue reading Free for All: Interviewing Achaea's Matt Mihaly for MUD May Free for All: Interviewing Achaea's Matt Mihaly for MUD May originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Shadowrun Online devs explain F2P model Posted: 29 May 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play Were you confused about Shadowrun Online's payment model? The devs have posted on the game's official website in an attempt to clear things up. First of all, everyone will play on the same server, regardless of whether you choose to pay for the campaign access tier or go free-to-play. Campaigners will receive the ability to buy every in-game item with in-game currency as well as boosts on cash, karma, and loot chances. Paying players will also apparently have more of a chance to affect the game's plot, "meaning their actions could count slightly more than the others' actions on the server in calculating what happens with the plot development." More details are available via the full news post, including a handy chart and answers to questions like "what happens when F2P players and campaign players play together?" Shadowrun Online devs explain F2P model originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement Via: The Escapist

EVE Online lays down Alliance Tournament rules Posted: 29 May 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (In-Game), PvP, Sandbox, Subscription EVE Online's Alliance Tournament XI is coming up this summer, and prospective combatants can now check out the full list of official rules as well as format details. Changes from past tournaments include the elimination of pre-qualifying and group stages, an entry fee of just 5 PLEX, the addition of a practice server, and a new tie-breaking system. The tournament will pit 64 alliance teams against each other in a single stage that involves double-elimination brackets and random initial seeding. EVE Online lays down Alliance Tournament rules originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Alliance Tournament XI rules

Nerd Kingdom details TUG's death mechanics Posted: 29 May 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Nerd Kingdom has outlined its preliminary goals for death and death penalties in its TUG sandbox MMO. The devs are aiming at something that's prickly enough to discourage players from using it as ad-hoc transportation between spawn points and yet forgiving enough to avoid frustration. In a nutshell, your avatar's soul will vacate his body upon death, and it will do so in the form of a wisp. Wisps will gradually regain enough energy to reenter the avatar and awaken it, and doing so necessitates progressing through four distinct phases. Reviving your avatar in its optimal state is thus dependent on timing, and the importance of reviving in a weak state vs. a fully recovered state will vary depending on your chosen game mode. Nerd Kingdom is enabling corpse-looting in TUG's survival mode, but the devs are also intent on designing plenty of camping deterrents into the system. You can read all about these, as well as the rest of the death mechanics on the TUG Kickstarter project page. Nerd Kingdom details TUG's death mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Player death

Snail Games to show off Black Gold, Age of Wushu expansion at E3 Posted: 29 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Expansions, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Age of Wushu, Steampunk Snail Games has a busy lineup in store for next month's E3. The studio will use the expo for several reveals, including a steampunk MMO, a dance-off MMO, and an expansion for Age of Wushu. The steampunk title is Black Gold, which is set in a fantasy universe where industrial technology and magic are at war (yes, it has giant mechs vs. dragons). It will have six races and six classes, although the classes will also have subclasses to allow for interesting combinations. Black Gold is set to begin closed beta testing tomorrow in China and Taiwan. Age of Wushu: Legends of Mount Hua promises to deliver new content starting in July, although Snail Games has yet to go into specifics as to what that content might be. The dance MMO is called Music Soul and features nine game modes that pit boogieing players against each other. [Source: Snail Games press release] Snail Games to show off Black Gold, Age of Wushu expansion at E3 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Spacetime Studios celebrates 260 million play sessions with massive infographic Posted: 29 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile Spacetime Studios, creator of mobile online titles Arcane Legends, Pocket Legends, and Star Legends, just announced a big milestone: The studio's games have seen over 260 million play sessions to date. To celebrate this feat, Spacetime put together a huge infographic packed with interesting figures related to its games and the community of players who support them. According to the numbers, players have killed over six billion enemies, completed over 25 million quests, and formed over 13 million parties. They've consumed over 16 million potions and elixirs and opened enough treasure chests to provide one for every person in New York City. Perhaps most importantly, Spacetime's games have been downloaded over 20 million times. It's all right there in the infographic, featured after the break. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release] Continue reading Spacetime Studios celebrates 260 million play sessions with massive infographic Spacetime Studios celebrates 260 million play sessions with massive infographic originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gain a clearer understanding of RIFT's new REX Posted: 29 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Dev Diaries Is your forehead scrunched up in that cute little way you sometimes have when you're trying to understand a topic that's running circles around you? You might be trying to get a grip on RIFT's upcoming free-to-play REX (RIFT exchange) mechanic. A new official dev article seeks to enlighten us all by laying out what REX does, how it's attained, and how it can be spent. In short, REX is a middle-man currency that is purchased with real money and can then be converted into item store credits (although, as the post states, it's a better deal to directly buy the credits). The twist here is that before it's converted to credits, REX can be sold to other players on the auction house. This effectively gives players with in-game money ways to obtain store credits and players with excess real money ways to inflate their in-game piggy banks. The post also explains the much simpler topic of gifting store items to other players. You probably have it figured out just by reading the previous sentence. Finally, last night we told you about RIFT's promo this weekend. According to a tweet this afternoon, that promo is live early -- in fact, RIFT is freely playable for former subbers right now. Gain a clearer understanding of RIFT's new REX originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: REX dev diary

Wildstar Wednesday: Caste, ritual and the ascension of an emperor god Posted: 29 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, WildStar, MMORPG WildStar is set in a dangerous and unpredictable universe where anything goes, but that doesn't mean some of the game's inhabitants aren't just dripping with class and old-money tradition. This week's WildStar Wednesday outlines the history of the Luminai, an Eldan-human hybrid race that currently walks the halls of power in the Dominion -- and has its eyes set on the conquest of Nexus. The story of the Luminai is deep and intriguing and hinges on some familiar themes. There's a lauded leader who reigned over 300 years of peace, an elite tier of people who named themselves as gods, a caste system forged by an emperor's decree, and an ongoing tussle for power between competing houses that often results in bloodshed and betrayal. Heck, there's even a forced coup and a "dark reign." Click the jump to get a closer look at Myrcalus the Vindicator, the current emperor of the Dominion and the man-Eldan who swears to bring Nexus under its rule. And keep a lookout for the Luminai while you're in WildStar. They are, after all, your gods. Continue reading Wildstar Wednesday: Caste, ritual and the ascension of an emperor god Wildstar Wednesday: Caste, ritual and the ascension of an emperor god originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WildStar Wednesday: The Luminai

Guild Wars 2 data mining finds evidence of LFG tool Posted: 29 May 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play An enterprising Redditor has discovered evidence of a looking for group tool in Guild Wars 2's current files. After plowing through file strings in the game's .dat file, the player found hints that a LFG tool is not just in development but may be coming soon to a game near us. The files imply players will be able to filter/advertise/find/pull an LFG search, advertising one's group, finding players for living world content, and pulling together a party for a full range of dungeons and PvP. The .dat file has a few more insights into the future of Guild Wars 2, including back-to-school town clothes, swimwear, a dragon mask, an unlimited logging axe, festive dragon coffers, and something called Skyhammer. Regarding the latter, one of its commands reads, "Maintain control of the Skyhammer cannon to call down lightning and vaporize your foes." Obviously, you need one of these, don't you? Guild Wars 2 data mining finds evidence of LFG tool originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit Via: Guild Wars 2 Guru

Choose My Adventure: Putting the finishing touches on our Darkfall project Posted: 29 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game Mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Choose My Adventure, Livestream, Sandbox Well, that just about does it. After weeks of your directing me through Darkfall Unholy Wars, our Choose My Adventure project is almost completed. We just have a few finishing touches to add before wrapping up -- namely, sieges! What romp through the wilds of Agon would be complete without experiencing the thrill of clan territorial warfare? You all couldn't let me leave without participating in a few sieges (which won over warfare on water by a narrow margin), and the server seemed more than willing to oblige. From small skirmishes infiltrating the cities of enemies to an all-out war to protect our own, I had the chance to fight -- and occasionally die -- in a few different sieges this past week. Considering I was still fairly new and fighting against a number of vets from the original Darkfall with years of practice under their belts, I didn't do too shabbily. Perhaps more importantly, I had fun through it all. Gallery: Choose My Adventure: Darkfall Unholy Wars Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Putting the finishing touches on our Darkfall project Choose My Adventure: Putting the finishing touches on our Darkfall project originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Scarlet Blade reveals first major content update Posted: 29 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play Though it's a game best-known for removing things (clothing in particular), Scarlet Blade is actually adding something this time around: Aeria Games has announced the free-to-play game's first major content update. Players in Scarlet Blade can now reach level 34 and venture into a new zone called Barbiron. New gear also accompanies the level cap increase, as do new dungeons, including the aptly named Subterranean Factory, which sits underground. PvP also received attention in this update with the opening of Viledon, an all new open-world zone capable of holding hundreds of combatants. This zone, which contains quests to complete, bosses to fight over, and escort missions to complete or sabotage, can be entered and exited at will. [Source Aeria Games press release] Scarlet Blade reveals first major content update originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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