General Gaming Article

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• Ask the Doctor: Storage Cloning, Slow SSD, and Other Issues Tackled
• Leaked Intel Roadmap Shows 2TB 2.5-inch SSD Coming Out in 2014
• No BS Podcast #215: OCZ Sells Out, PC Sales Shrink, and AMD's FX CPUs
• Backblaze Finds Enterprise Drives Fail More Often than Consumer HDDs
• EVGA Eyes Budget Builders with 500W and 430W PSUs Starting at $35
• MSI Lays Claim to First 3K Gaming Laptop, Also Unveils a 3K Mobile Workstation
• Acer's Aspire Z3-600 All-in-One Packs a Built-in Battery for Computing On-the-Go
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus White 23-inch Monitor, EVGA GeForce GTX 780 witt ACX Cooler, and More!

Ask the Doctor: Storage Cloning, Slow SSD, and Other Issues Tackled Posted: 05 Dec 2013 12:30 PM PST This month the doctor tackles HDDs and SSDs, Ripping Woes, XP Drivers and many more Slow Raptor I just bought a WD Velociraptor WD1000DHTZ hard drive from Newegg. The performance of this drive is not what I expected it to be. I have an Asrock 870 Extreme3 R2.0 motherboard. When I bought this board on Newegg a year ago it was advertised as a SATA6 motherboard, but when I check the Asrock website it states that it is a SATA3 motherboard. Does the underperformance of my Velociraptor have something to do with this, or did I just expect too much? - Gary Davidson The Doctor Responds: This is the trouble with SATA's naming scheme: It's confusing. SATA 3.0 is the third revision of the SATA spec, the one that works at 6Gb/s. SATA II is the one that works at 3Gb/s. Your motherboard and the Velociraptor both have SATA 6Gb/s ports, so you have not been misled. Without any solid benchmark numbers it's hard to tell if your Velociraptor is underperforming, but keep in mind that although it is a fast mechanical drive, it's still a mechanical drive and so its random-access times will be a hundred times slower than an SSD's, and its sequential speeds are still half or a third what an SSD's would be. You won't get SSD-like speed from it; all you'll get is a really fast mechanical drive. Slow SSD RAID My boot drives are a pair of identical, fairly early 128GB Fujitsu SSDs that are booting Win7 in a RAID 0 configuration, and all my documents and programs are in a pair of 3TB Seagates in RAID 1. Crystal-DiskInfo can't see past the Marvell controller on my Asus P6X58-E Pro but CrystalDiskMark's report is a little disappointing, showing sequential read/write of 295MB/s and 116MB/s, respectively. Would I get similar results if these SSDs were stand-alone? My machine is completely ready in one minute from a cold start. Booting from the platter disk that I cloned takes 4.5 minutes. - Dave King The Doctor Responds: The 6Gb/s Marvell 9128 SATA controllers on X58 boards are not very fast, at least not compared to the Intel native 6Gb/s controllers from Sandy Bridge and later chipsets. This is partly because they connect to the motherboard via a single PCIe 2.0 lane. Secondly, your RAID controller can't pass Trim commands from the OS through to the drives, so they are slowing down as they run out of fresh sectors, though if those are SandForce drives, as the Doc suspects, the onboard garbage-collecting algorithms should help a little. If you really want faster performance, you'd actually be better off cloning your RAID 0 to a single 6Gb/s SATA SSD, or re-creating your array using a PCIe RAID card that uses four or more lanes. That said, there's no need to take drastic action if you're happy with the current speed of your drives. Movin' on Up If I have a 20GB boot drive, can I move the stuff on it to a bigger drive? I read that cloning even copies the partition. So if I cloned the 20GB drive to a bigger one, the bigger one would act as a 20GB hard drive. How do I get past this? - Joseph The Doctor Responds: You can clone that 20GB drive to a bigger one, then increase the partition size to take up all the empty space on that larger drive. There are several ways to do this, but EaseUs ToDo Backup Free (www.todo-backup.com) is a good one-stop solution that makes it pretty easy. It'll let you clone your existing drive image to a larger one and adjust the partition size, either as you clone it over or afterward. Clone your drives with EaseUs ToDo Backup Can't Rip It I have AnyDVD HD and HandBrake. I want to back up my movies but I am having issues with HandBrake: No matter what settings I choose, HandBrake always makes the file 4GB and it is never playable. Any help or guidance on what my settings should be would be great. - Karl The Doctor Responds: Karl, first, make sure you have the latest version of AnyDVD HD as well as the latest build of HandBrake. You might want to look for firmware updates for your optical drive, as well. You also didn't say what player you were using. The Doc recommends VLC Player (www.videolan.org) for a free player or PowerDVD 13 (www.cyberlink.com) for a paid, but prettier player. You didn't say what operating system you were running or what file system you're writing to. If you are running, say, Windows XP on a hard drive that is formatted with FAT32, you should know that FAT32 has a maximum file size limit of just over 4GB. A HandBrake encode of a 1080p Blu-ray will typically exceed that size. When HandBrake hits the file size limit of FAT32, it may just stop the encode, leaving you with a video that won't play because the file is essentially corrupt. We Blame Apple I just finished building a rig that dual-boots OS X and Windows 7. The system in general works just fine, but I have one problem that's been nagging me for the past week: my BIOS. For the first three boots or so on my system, the BIOS startup screen came up cheerfully for two seconds, and then went directly to my boot loader. Next boot, the startup logo decides to stay around for another 20 seconds, until my internal speaker beeps, signaling POST has finished. I'm rocking a Gigabyte Z77X-UDH5 Rev. 1.1 board, and I'm pretty disappointed to see my boot times rising from 10 seconds to around 30. I checked the debug LED codes, and found out that the system was hanging on code 64, or "CPU DXE initialization has started." I have tried updating, resetting, and adjusting the BIOS with no luck. If I want better boot times, would I need to RMA it? - Derek Werbowy The Doctor Responds: Contacting Gigabyte support for help is a good idea but there are a few other steps you might want to take. You've updated the BIOS, so you're good there. First, disconnect any external drives or USB devices. External USB devices can on occasion play havoc with boot times and may react differently depending on the USB port they're in. Still whacky? Make sure all of your mobo power connectors and SATA connectors are firmly connected. You may even want to try to unplug and replug them until you are sure they firmly in place. Reset the CMOS manually, or remove the coin cell with the system PSU switched off for 10 seconds. Before you do that, make sure you take detailed notes on your UEFI settings. Now, try reseating all of the RAM, and if that doesn't make a difference, try running each DIMM individually. If that doesn't work, start unplugging SATA drives to see if the system is maybe hanging on one of the drives. Your last resort is to consider a CPU reseat, as well. XP Drivers on New Mobos I am using an older AMD computer running WinXP and I want to try building a new one all by myself. Just as I was ready to order the parts, my son said, "Whoa, if you want to keep WinXP" (which I do), "the motherboard must support WinXP." I think he mentioned the chipset. Does the Gigabyte Z77X-UP4 TH support WinXP? If not, which Z77 motherboard still supports WinXP? I plan to use an Intel i5-3570K CPU and GeForce GTX 660 GPU. - George Pieper The Doctor Responds: As long as there are Windows XP–compatible drivers for your motherboard, you'll be fine. According to Gigabyte's support site (www.gigabyte.us), there are indeed WinXP drivers for that mobo, so you're good to go. If you want to do any gaming with that computer, you should consider upgrading to Windows 7 or 8. If you stick with Windows XP, you won't be able to take advantage of the DirectX 11 capabilities of that GeForce GTX 660.

Leaked Intel Roadmap Shows 2TB 2.5-inch SSD Coming Out in 2014 Posted: 05 Dec 2013 12:09 PM PST Large capacity SSDs are on the horizon Imagine swapping out that 1TB mechanical hard drive that's been making grinding noises with a 2GB solid state drive. Talk about an upgrade! If your pockets are stuffed with enough cash and you can justify spending what's likely to be a small fortune on a 2TB SSD in 2.5-inch knickers, you'll have your chance in 2014. So says a leaked Intel roadmap outlining the company's SSD plans. The leaked roadmap is a continuation of an earlier one that appeared on the web not long ago. This one goes up through the second quarter of 2014, which is when Intel is scheduled to release its Fultondale and Pleasantdale lines in 200GB, 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB, and 2TB capacities. Also known as the P3700 and P3500 Series, respectively, these drives will be built with 20nm High Endurance Technology (HET) multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory. They'll ship in both PCI-E and 2.5-inch form factors and feature AES 256-bit encryption, 25W power (10W while idle), and five year warranties. On the performance side, they're rated for up to 2800MB/s sequential read and up to 1700MB/s sequential write performance. No word on price, but we're thinking "arm and a leg" is a pretty good estimate. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

No BS Podcast #215: OCZ Sells Out, PC Sales Shrink, and AMD's FX CPUs Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:54 AM PST OCZ sells its SSD business to Toshiba, PC enthusiasts have stopped upgrading, and is AMD giving up on the FX platform? Welcome to episode #215 of the No BS Podcast where we talk about nothing but gloom and doom for the PC industry. We begin with the recent sale of OCZ's SSD business to Toshiba, and what it means for current and future customers. We discuss the latest report from IDC which predicts PC sales will have declined by over 10 percent in 2013 because PC users have no reasons to upgrade. Finally, we consider the possibility of AMD abandoning the fight with Intel. We wrap up with our Editors' Picks and Gordon delivers a fiery sermon on a range of topics that includes Star Wars and e-mail.    Editor's Picks Clark Crisp: Roccat Kone XTD mouse  Tom McNamara: Shadow Warrior Remake Katherine Stevenson: Windows 8's Snipping Tool Josh Norem: Prank Christmas Boxes/ The Pet Petter Gordon Ung: Diamond Select Communicator and Phaser Can't get enough Maximum PC? Check us out on the following sites: Subscribe on iTunes Fan us on Facebook Tweet us on Twitter Subscribe to us on Youtube Check out our Windows 8 app in Microsoft's app store Subscribe to our RSS feed If you have any feedback or questions feel free to: Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337 Subscribe to Maximum PC in Print or on Google Play, itunes, Kindle, Nook and Zinio. Thanks for listening!

Backblaze Finds Enterprise Drives Fail More Often than Consumer HDDs Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:33 AM PST A real-world evaluation of hard drive reliability In November, cloud backup firm Backblaze posted some detailed data on the life expectancy of hard drives based on the company's experience with over 25,000 HDDs. One thing Backblaze found was that evaluating such a thing is bit tricky for a number of reasons, though it was able to make some observations. As a followup, Backblaze has posted another blog that examines how reliable enterprise drives are compared to consumer drives, and the results are surprising. Enterprise drives have built in mechanisms that are supposed to make them better suited for the rigors of 24x7 operation than consumer based drives, but according to Backblaze, they not only fail just as often, but even at a greater clip. There's some qualifying factors that go along with that, however. For one, Backblaze is comparing a sample of 368 enterprise class drives with 14,719 consumer drives. That's how many of each were added in the past two years since Backblaze began using enterprise-grade storage systems. The second thing to consider is that enterprise drives are used more heavily than consumer drives, though Backblaze points out they're also "coddled in well-ventilated low-vibration enclosures." In contrast to that, consumer drives are installed in Storage Pods with a fair amount of vibration. All that said, 17 enterprise drives failed in the past two years, adding up to a 4.6 percent annual failure rate. During the same period, 613 consumer drives failed, which comes out to a 4.2 percent failure rate. "So, are enterprise drives worth the cost? From a pure reliability perspective, the data we have says the answer is clear: No," Backblaze concludes. "Enterprise drives do have one advantage: longer warranties. That's a benefit only if the higher price you pay for the longer warranty is less than what you expect to spend on replacing the drive." Give Backblaze's analysis a once-over and then let us know what you think about the data and its conclusion. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

EVGA Eyes Budget Builders with 500W and 430W PSUs Starting at $35 Posted: 05 Dec 2013 10:21 AM PST Name brand PSUs at generic prices Putting together a modest system that doesn't require a nuclear reactor to power up and sustain during gaming sessions? EVGA might have what you're looking for. The hardware player announced a couple of new power supplies -- a 500W model and a 430W model, both aimed at budget builders who aren't looking to spend all their holiday skrilla on a PSU, yet still want a name brand unit. The 430W model retails for $35 direct from EVGA and the 500W model goes for $40. The two PSUs are both 80 Plus certified and utilize a single +12V rail design (34A on the 430W and 40A on the 500W). For $5 more, the 500W is arguably the better value and gives a bit more headroom to play with. You don't get modular cables with either model, but they are sleeved, which helps with cable management and appearance. EVGA says the fan on both models runs "near silent," which we would expect at this power level. The EVGA 430W and 500W PSUs are available to order now. Each one carries a 3-year warranty. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

MSI Lays Claim to First 3K Gaming Laptop, Also Unveils a 3K Mobile Workstation Posted: 05 Dec 2013 08:32 AM PST Finding middle ground between Full HD and 4K gaming MSI today announced what it claims is the world's first 3K gaming notebook, which hits the market just in time to be added onto your holiday wishlist. The GT60 2OD-261US is a 15.6-inch laptop with a WQHD+ display (2880x1620) that kicks things up a notch over Full HD 1080p without going all the way up to 4K, which would be both more expensive and far more demanding on the hardware. Powering the 3K display is an Intel Core i7 4700MQ processor, 16GB of DDR3L 1600MHz RAM, and a GeForce GTX 780M discrete graphics. It's a powerful trio that should keep the laptop relevant for some time to come. In addition, it has a 128GB solid state drive, 1TB hard drive (7200 RPM), Killer N1202 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Killer E2200 LAN, SD card reader, Blu-ray reader, three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI output, 720p webcam, SteelSeries backlit keyboard, Dynaudio speakers with subwoofer, 9-cell battery, and Windows 8. MSI also announced a similar spec'd workstation (2OKWS-278US), however it rocks an Nvidia Quadro K3100M GPU, has one less USB 2.0 port, and runs Windows 7 Professional. "Gamers demand the most out of their systems and are constantly trying to attain a more complete experience, starting from system performance to multimedia effects. The GT60 with 3K graphics immerses the portable gamer into a realm never before experienced," stated Andy Tung, vice president of sales for MSI Pan America Region. "The 3K graphics in our latest workstation gives professionals an edge by increasing efficiency and productivity." The GT60 gaming and workstation systems are available now for $2,200 and $2,800, respectively. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer's Aspire Z3-600 All-in-One Packs a Built-in Battery for Computing On-the-Go Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:51 AM PST Built-in battery lasts up to 2.5 hours in between charges Most all-in-one (AIO) systems won't get very far if you rip the power cord from the wall, though there are a few exceptions. Dell's XPS 18 comes to mind, but for an even bigger screen experience, Acer's new 21.5-inch Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) Aspire Z3-600 will go wherever you go and keep kicking for up to 2.5 hours before its built-in battery battery needs to suck more juice out of an outlet. Acer's portable AIO has a flexible hinge design and stand that tilts up to 90 degrees. It can lay flat for tabletop computing activities with support for 10-point capacitive touch input. Two 2.5W front-facing Harman Kardon speakers deliver "crystal clear audio that sounds close ot the original recording," Acer claims. Color us intrigued. As for what's inside, the Z3-600 comes equipped with an Intel Pentium J2850 quad-core processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory, and up to a 750GB hard drive. It also has HDMI output, a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, and Windows 8. The Acer Aspire Z3-600 will be available to purchase later this month starting at $779. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus White 23-inch Monitor, EVGA GeForce GTX 780 witt ACX Cooler, and More! Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:21 AM PST Top Deal: If you're looking to white out your next build, it's not that hard to do these days. There are all kinds of white peripherals and parts, everything from gaming mice to cases and even case fans. To complete the build, however, have a look at today's top deal for an Asus VX238H-W White 23-inch LED Monitor for $135 with free shipping (normally $200; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). Don't be fooled by the budget price -- this panel sports a Full HD 1080p resolution, 80,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1ms response time, flexible connectivity (D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI), and special anti-UV materials to prevent the chassis from turning a dingy yellow. Other Deals: EVGA 03G-P4-3788-KR GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Classified w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card for $550 with free shipping (normally $580; additional $20 Mail-in rebate; 3 Free Games with Purchase) Asus Sabertooth Z87 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $230 with free shipping (normally $250 ; use coupon code: [EMCWVXT25]) Corsair AX series AX860 860W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply for $170 with free shipping (normally $200; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced - Gaming Mid Tower Computer Case with Carrying Handle for $95 with free shipping (normally $110; additional $25 Mail-in rebate)

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MMO Updates

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• Neverwinter's Shadowmantle launches with new class, zone, and more
• Fallen Earth adds holiday spirit to the wasteland
• Mobile shooter APB: Retribution announced
• War Thunder Ground Forces closed beta has begun
• First cast members for World of Warcraft movie revealed
• The Think Tank: Which MMOs are you looking forward to the most in 2014?
• Alter Ego: Issue #4 - Kid Critical in the Scarecrow's Lair
• The Daily Grind: How influential is pre-launch art?
• The Stream Team: Dota 2's most thankless job
• The Stream Team: Tank time in TERA
• Explore Destiny's early fantasy, sci-fi, and space western art
• The Art of Wushu: Taking all comers with Shaolin boxing
• Elder Scrolls Online classes won't 'chain you to any one playstyle'
• Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items
• World of Warcraft livestreamer detained by police during livestream
• Blacklight: Retribution launches today for European PS4 consoles
• EVE Online's New Eden Open II boasts $25,000 prize pool
• War Thunder CEO discusses free-to-play's future on consoles
• RIFT shows off its customer service department

Neverwinter's Shadowmantle launches with new class, zone, and more Posted: 05 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dungeons, Neverwinter Neverwinter's latest content hit today as the Shadowmantle module launched, giving players a variety of new things to occupy their time, from places to go to people to be. Players can now embark on their adventures as a brand-new class, the Hunter Ranger, which is a mix of both ranged and melee abilities. For the level-60 crowd, there is also a new dungeon to dive into (Valindra's Tower), a new skirmish to participate in (Dread Legion), and a whole new region to explore (the Dread Ring). The over-level-21 crowd can get its hands on new artifacts thanks to new quests. Other updates included in this module are a collections system, active companion bonuses, more Paragon Path choices, a voting system to kick out party members, and more. A full-run down of all the changes, balances, and additions are available in the patch notes. Neverwinter's Shadowmantle launches with new class, zone, and more originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Patch notes

Fallen Earth adds holiday spirit to the wasteland Posted: 05 Dec 2013 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fallen Earth, Patches, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries The Fallen Earth dev blog is singing a merry tune today with the reveal of this year's winter holiday gear and a look at what's in store for 2014. Even in the wasteland, holidays sweaters seem to persist, and you can grab one for yourself in the Fallen Earth store. The team also mentioned bug fixes in this new patch, as well as a look toward The Outpost's new design, featuring an area to explore and build. "Our focus for this expansion is putting more control of the players' experience in their hands and giving crafters more of a role at the higher levels," says lead designer Marie Croall in the blog. Check out the full entry for more details and images of holiday-wrapped post-apocalyptic vehicles.... because that's just something you don't see every day. Fallen Earth adds holiday spirit to the wasteland originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Fallen Earth dev blog

Mobile shooter APB: Retribution announced Posted: 05 Dec 2013 08:15 AM PST Filed under: Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Mobile, All Points Bulletin Players wanting a little more shooter action while on the go will soon be able to jump into APB: Retribution, a top-down tactical shooter developed expressly for mobile devices. Not too much more is known about the game (like whether or not it is multiplayer let alone massive is any way) other than it is set in the same universe of the MMO APB: Reloaded. Retribution is the first step along the planned route of expanding beyond the main MMO. This project was completed in six months, and Blazing Griffin, working with Reloaded Productions, already has a spin off planned. APB: Retribution is slated to release for iOS devices this month. Continue reading Mobile shooter APB: Retribution announced Mobile shooter APB: Retribution announced originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Trailer, First details

War Thunder Ground Forces closed beta has begun Posted: 05 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Historical, PvP War Thunder's Ground Forces expansion has opened the gates to closed beta earlier this week, allowing players who participated in daily in-game challenges throughout November to experience the new content first. "Our ultimate goal is to have hundreds of thousands of individual games made up of dozens of players who can experience intense battles where they come from the skies, the land and eventually from the sea," said Anton Yudintsev, CEO, Gaijin Entertainment. "The launch of Ground Forces Expansion closed beta is another step towards that goal." You can purchase an advanced pack full of exclusive content that will also allow access to December's closed beta events by visiting the game's online store. War Thunder Ground Forces closed beta has begun originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Ground Forces beta announcement

First cast members for World of Warcraft movie revealed Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:30 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Subscription If you were secretly hoping your leet World of Warcraft skills would land you a leading role in the upcoming live-action movie adaptation, we hate to burst your bubble but the first cast members have been revealed. Universal Pictures has announced that Ben Foster, Paula Patton, Rob Kazinsky, Travis Fimme, and Toby Kebbell have all be signed on to the project. Another cast member, Dominic Cooper, was named, but remains in negotiation. Each of the stars have various television and film credits to their name. The Azeroth-based movie is set to release in 2016 after being delayed from December 2015. First cast members for World of Warcraft movie revealed originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Movie cast revealed

The Think Tank: Which MMOs are you looking forward to the most in 2014? Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank Can you believe it's already December? This is the time of year when we reflect back on what we've played over the last 12 months and try to remember what's coming out in the next 12. We have some great titles to look forward to in 2014, including The Elder Scrolls Online, EQN Landmark, WildStar, and more. Since we've got a diverse team of MMO fans here on staff, I was curious about each writer's anticipated picks for the new year. Check out the answers just after the cut! And don't forget we'll do our official most-anticipated vote later on this month. Continue reading The Think Tank: Which MMOs are you looking forward to the most in 2014? The Think Tank: Which MMOs are you looking forward to the most in 2014? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Alter Ego: Issue #4 - Kid Critical in the Scarecrow's Lair Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, MMO Industry, PvE, Free-to-Play, Comics, Roleplaying, DC Universe Online, Alter-Ego, Dungeons Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online comic, Kid Critical helped Batman foil the Scarecrow's plan to turn Gotham's East End into a living nightmare. The mad scientist subsequently retreated to his lair beneath the city streets, where he managed to capture Batwoman and unleash his hellish fear gas on the pursuing Kid Critical. Now, Batwoman and the Kid must join forces to survive Scarecrow's hallucinogenic traps -- not to mention his cheesy banter. Will they make it out of the Scarecrow's Lair with their sanity intact? Turn the page to find out! Continue reading Alter Ego: Issue #4 - Kid Critical in the Scarecrow's Lair Alter Ego: Issue #4 - Kid Critical in the Scarecrow's Lair originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How influential is pre-launch art? Posted: 05 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Culture, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, The Daily Grind, Destiny, Buy-to-Play Slowly but surely Bungie is roping me onto its Destiny bandwagon. It didn't take much, to be frank, since I rarely meet a sci-fi shooter I don't enjoy at least a little bit. And hey, I'm one of those infernal dudebros who loves the heck out of the Halo franchise, too! Anyway, Destiny. It's got some really sick art. Plus it seems like Bungie has taken the time to create a proper world and properly age it, if yesterday's art-focused video is any indication. That leads me to this morning's Daily Grind question. Does concept art affect your excitement for a title one way or the other? Put another way, how influential is a game's pre-launch art? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! The Daily Grind: How influential is pre-launch art? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Dota 2's most thankless job Posted: 04 Dec 2013 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvE, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, MOBA, The Stream Team Dota 2, like most MOBAs, is a team sport. And in order for the team to succeed, some players have to shy away from glory and instead focus on propping up others. This is the thankless role of a Dota 2 support, the person who buys couriers, is always under-leveled, and never has gold for the game's coolest items. Tune in as Massively's Mike Foster leaps into the support role in the hopes of propping his team up into a glorious victory by letting others stand in the limelight. Feeding begins at 8:30 p.m. EST. Game: Dota 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 Time: 8:30 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Dota 2's most thankless job The Stream Team: Dota 2's most thankless job originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Tank time in TERA Posted: 04 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvE, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, TERA, Livestream, Dungeons, The Stream Team, MMORPG The world of TERA is filled with gigantic monsters just waiting to make mincemeat out of an unsuspecting group of adventurers. The only thing between a brave party and death is a good tank, and Massively's Mike Foster is happy to take on the task. Tune in for a closer look at TERA's action-combat-oriented tanking mechanics, and for a glance at some of the enormous, dangerous foes that make this particular MMO unique. The action starts at 7:00 p.m. EST. Game: TERA Host: Mike Foster Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Tank time in TERA The Stream Team: Tank time in TERA originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Explore Destiny's early fantasy, sci-fi, and space western art Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Culture, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, Destiny, Buy-to-Play Game Informer is gearing up for some Destiny content reveals, the first of which is a six-minute video journey through the sci-fantasy shooter's art direction. The clip also features an extended Thundarr the Barbarian segment, so there's that. Art director Christopher Barrett says that for a while, Bungie wasn't sure if it had a fantasy, a space western, or hard sci-fi on its hands, and the early art reflects a lot of that "fun exploration." Most of the ideas ultimately ended up in the game, too, as Barrett says that Bungie was able to create a sort of "historical or aged look with sci-fi that felt new." Explore Destiny's early fantasy, sci-fi, and space western art originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Game Informer

The Art of Wushu: Taking all comers with Shaolin boxing Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Classes, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, Age of Wushu, The Art of Wushu, MMORPG Of all of the fighting styles in Age of Wushu, Shaolin Long Boxing is the one I hate the most. It has no counters or easy answers. In a close-combat fight, Long Boxing is unmatched. The only real option is to run away, and in the narrow confines of a duel arena, even that option is limited. However, I don't dislike Long Boxing because it's the best. There has to be a "best" style, though that can be obfuscated a bit with counters (which is the case for many other top-tier styles). The reason I hate it is that it has no counterplay. Even if you understand exactly what your opponent will do next with Long Boxing, there are only a tiny handful of style-specific answers if your opponent just follows a basic flowchart. Everyone else just loses. It's really that frustrating. Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Taking all comers with Shaolin boxing The Art of Wushu: Taking all comers with Shaolin boxing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Elder Scrolls Online classes won't 'chain you to any one playstyle' Posted: 04 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Dev Diaries, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription Ready for more Elder Scrolls Online progression info? We hope so, because ZeniMax has dropped a fairly meaty dev blog this afternoon that details the upcoming fantasy MMO's skill lines. Wait, isn't ESO a class-based game? Well, yes, but ZeniMax says that classes won't "chain you to any one playstyle." Each class has three skill lines, and each line has different skills that are "thematically related to the class." When you combine those three lines "with the many, many other lines available to every character, each member of a particular class can be wildly different from the next," the company claims. ESO is also tying some of its skill lines into exploration activities. For example, some skill lines have to be discovered out in the wide world of Tamriel, and ZeniMax took inspiration from Skyrim's Dragon Words when it designed additional skill point rewards that are acquired by finding hidden Skyshards. Finally, the dev blog touches on skill morphing, so head the ESO website and give it a full read. Elder Scrolls Online classes won't 'chain you to any one playstyle' originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Dev blog

Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items Posted: 04 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Ryzom, Opinion, Ultima Online, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Browser, Casual, Mabinogi, Allods Online, Free for All, Battlestar Galactica Online, Miscellaneous, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox, Subscription I love things. Truly I do. Only specific things, though. Over the last year I have doubled my efforts to catalog most of the best things in my life, from pictures and artwork to writings and songs I have played on. It's a sort of meta-hobby. As part of the effort I want to organize many of my favorite MMO in-game items, simply because I have played MMOs for so long and they are such a part of my life. I have a lot of favorite items, but some tend to stick out in my memory like a favorite smell or place. After I finished an initial list of MMO items (it was well over 50 items in the beginning), I was surprised at how much variety there was in the items and in the games I listed. I think it reflects my character a lot, but also shows that I am a sentimental plod most of the time. I cut the list down to these 10, but I am sure I will wish to adjust the list again in the future. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section! Continue reading Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warcraft livestreamer detained by police during livestream Posted: 04 Dec 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, News Items, Subscription During his livestream last night, Swifty -- a popular World of Warcraft player and livestreamer -- was paid a visit by the police after they received a call regarding "a false accusation that Swifty was threatening someone with a knife." As he was streaming, the officers questioned Swifty, searched his home, and finally detained him for a trip to the station. This is the second time that Swifty has been the target of what appears to be a remarkably extreme prank caller, and he's understandably more than a little upset. However, it's currently unknown what kind of action -- if any -- Swifty will be taking to catch the perpetrator. You can see the whole hullabaloo for yourself in a recording of the stream past the cut. Continue reading World of Warcraft livestreamer detained by police during livestream World of Warcraft livestreamer detained by police during livestream originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments WoW Insider

Blacklight: Retribution launches today for European PS4 consoles Posted: 04 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Launches, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Studios' free-to-play multiplayer shooter, Blacklight: Retribution, is set for launch on European PlayStation 4 consoles today. The game, which hit North American PS4s as a launch-day beta, does not require a subscription to PlayStation Plus. Blacklight: Retribution originally released in April of 2012, hitting Steam a few months later. Since then, it has become one of the most-played shooters on Valve's digital distribution platform. The game was originally slated to land in Europe with the PS4 but suffered a brief delay. Blacklight: Retribution launches today for European PS4 consoles originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Polygon

EVE Online's New Eden Open II boasts $25,000 prize pool Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Contests, Events (In-Game), Sandbox, Subscription Lock and load, space jockeys: EVE Online's back with New Eden Open II -- and this year the prize pool is far larger than 2012's. The New Eden Open is a space combat tournament between 32 12-player teams, all competing for real cash prizes. First place will net $12,000, second place $8,000, and third place $5,000. To compete, a team must win a spot via a silent auction or through a raffle. CCP is fine-tuning the tournament based on last year's performance and is taking care to schedule it around the holidays. Signups begin on December 12th, with the auction proceeding on the 20th and the tournament taking place on three consecutive weekends in February. EVE Online's New Eden Open II boasts $25,000 prize pool originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments New Eden Open II

War Thunder CEO discusses free-to-play's future on consoles Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play Free has become the entry point for a lot of games on both mobile devices and the computer. If you enjoy the game, you spend money, but it costs nothing to try it. But what about free-to-play on consoles? War Thunder is on the PlayStation 4 and is looking to the future, but as Gaijin Entertainment CEO Anton Yudintsev explains, the problem with a large number of free-to-play games is a matter of polish. Yudintsev goes on to compare his company's flagship game to Call of Duty and its record-breaking profits, stating, "We're not the greedy bastards here." He sees a bright future for free-to-play on consoles but also asserts that free developers have to step up to a higher level of refinement, delivering more polished mechanics to get past the initial bias of console gamers. Take a look at the full interview with Yudintsev for more elaboration on his views of the console makret compared to the PC market. War Thunder CEO discusses free-to-play's future on consoles originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Gamesindustry.biz

RIFT shows off its customer service department Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Subscription What's it like working a day in customer service? Most of you probably don't have to speculate, since the odds of you having worked retail at some point hover right around almost certainty. But have you worked customer service for a game before? If you have, then you probably don't have any need to look at RIFT's new post about the perils of working in the game's CS team. If you haven't, maybe you'd like to know a bit more about the people you're cursing about as you try to get your character bugs resolved. Aside from showing off some anecdotes and company-wide teamwork for the team, the post also contains the helpful reminder for players of every games that things which seem to be exploits are probably better off reported rather than, well, exploited. If you want a peek behind the curtain to see how the service team operates within games in general and RIFT in particular, take a look at the full article. RIFT shows off its customer service department originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Dec 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Inside Trion: Is it CS you're looking for?

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