General Gaming Article

---

• Google Launches Add-ons for Docs and Sheets
• Best Windows 8 Start Menu
• Galaxy's White Hot GeForce GTX 780 Ti HOF V20 Graphics Card Sets 3DMark Record
• Staples Plans to Close 225 U.S. Stores by 2015
• Sony and Panasonic Jointly Develop Archival Disc Successor to Blu-ray
• Lenovo Comments on Strike at IBM Server Factory in China
• Zotac Builds an E-Series Zbox Mini PC for Gamers
• Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i3 4130 Haswell, LG 23-inch IPS Monitor, and More!

Google Launches Add-ons for Docs and Sheets Posted: 11 Mar 2014 06:15 PM PDT Watch out Microsoft Office Google is launching add-ons for its Docs and Sheets today, according to a post on its official blog. Created mostly by third-party developers, these add-ons will insert features into a user's document that were not previously possible. In order to see what is available, users will need to click on the Add-ons tab for any open document or spreadsheet and then click the Get add-ons option. From there, users will be directed to the Add-on store.  Some of the add-ons available include Avery Label Merge, a tool that will let users import addresses or names from Sheets into Docs for printing labels. EasyBib Bibliography Creator will allow users to cite books, journals, and websites easily in MLA, APA, or Chicago style. Merge by Mailchimp provides the ability to send customized emails from Google Docs and Letter Feed Workflows provides the ability to share a document with co-workers who can click on an "Approve" button for simple feedback. Once the recipients have approved the document, the sender is notified and can then post their work. While the selection of add-ons is limited right now, Google says that a lot more are on the way. What feature would you like to see available? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Best Windows 8 Start Menu Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:11 PM PDT Microsoft isn't returning the beloved Start Menu to Windows 8 anytime soon. But hope is not lost, thanks to these handy third-party tools! Beyond all of the colorful tiles; the bolted-on Modern user interface; the giant, full-screen apps and panels; and the inability to boot to the desktop—to name just a few of our gripes—there's one issue above all others that's guaranteed to universally frustrate Windows 8 desktop users: the Start Menu. Specifically, Microsoft's decision to remove the Start Menu entirely from Windows 8, giving users no recourse for adding it back as an optional alternative or supplement to the Modern UI's tiled application shortcuts and search tool, which are Windows 8's means of navigation. We can fix that. Perform a simple search for "Windows 8 Start Menu" and you'll find a smorgasbord of apps with one purpose in mind: bringing back the button at any cost. The last thing you want to do is muck up your Windows 8 installation with a junky program, however—worse, to have wasted your time installing numerous Start Menu apps in an effort to find out which one is best (or prettiest). Worry not. Your Start Menu is coming back. And with 11 different apps in our Start Menu roundup, we're going to show you the best free and paid-for ways to get it. Start Menu Reviver It's a Start Buffet, not a Start Menu We appreciate what ReviverSoft is trying to do with its free Start Menu Reviver app. In many ways, the Start Menu that the app creates is like a miniature hybrid of Windows Modern and a conventional Start Menu. Big, bulky boxes give you access to your computer's contents, your Internet browser of choice, the Modern dashboard, and what can only be described as a semi-shrunken version of Modern itself for quick app access. Highlights Packed to the gills with links and shortcuts. Not a ton of configuration options on this one. Start Menu folder structure could be presented much better. With some tweaking of Start Menu Reviver's limited configuration options you can create a vague resemblance to the conventional Start Menu. But even then, the app feels like it wastes space—we'd rather see more of our folders and shortcuts at once. To balance out that annoyance, however, the app features a ton of links to various parts of the OS—and the ability to bypass Modern completely when Windows 8 boots.  www.reviversoft.com Power 8 We give it a Power 1 Sorry, Power 8 just doesn't do it for us. First, we hate that there's no way to assign your keyboard's Windows Key to pull up this app's Start Menu instead of Modern. The app is also a bit too thorough when it comes to disabling Modern's Hot Corners—useful if you want to try and click its tiny Start button without accidentally activating a Windows 8 hot corner, but poor if you want to access any of the hot-corner options. Highlights Big on pinning, if there's a small list of apps that you only really ever use. Doesn't work with your Windows Key; disables too much of Modern with no customizability. About that Start button—we wish that Power 8 came preconfigured with a larger button than the wee sliver the app stashes on the lower-left corner of your screen. The app's glowing shortcut text is a bit tough on the eyes, and you're forced to click a giant "Start Menu" button within the, er, Start Menu, just to access your standard Programs folder. No, thanks. https://code.google.com/p/power8 Classic Shell A Swiss Army knife of Start Menu approaches The freeware app Classic Shell is a bit like using a bazooka to kill a fly. In this case, we commend the carnage. Once installed, the app allows you to slap a Start Menu button directly within Windows 8's Desktop Mode that can be configured to operate in one of three ways: Windows Classic, Windows XP, or Windows 7. And, yes, Classic Shell comes with illustrated examples for those who don't quite remember the differences between the three Start Menu setups. Highlights A great app for ignoring Modern completely. Highly customizable, with more options than Windows would give you natively. Bonus tweaks to File Explorer, which you can enable and disable at your leisure. Other fun tweaks the app enables are the much-longed-for ability to bypass Windows 8's Modern UI entirely in favor of a direct boot to Desktop Mode, a sea of configuration options that you can use to tweak your Start Menu to your liking, and Classic Explorer, which adds some creative visual tweaks to File Explorer itself! www.classicshell.net ViStart Not too shabby, minus its weird name It might feel a bit jarring at first when ViStart asks you to create a new Toolbar that it'll use as your Start button, but don't be scared off by the app's treatment. You can still tap your Windows Key to launch the new menu—or at least, we could until the Windows Key started loading Modern again (a quick reset fixed that). Highlights Simple look and feel with a variety of switchable skins and decent display configuration. Scrolling programs menu should be replaced with one that shows all of your programs and folders at once. ViStart's scrolling programs menu mimics the conventional Windows 7 Start Menu, and its left-most shortcuts are convenient and customizable—you can even add brand-new ones if you're down for a little bit of text-file editing. The app lets you bypass Modern upon booting and lets you customize which of Windows 8's hot corners you'd like to flip on and off—a lovely touch. The app's search leaves a little to be desired, as you can't Ctrl-A all of your text and delete it en masse when you want to search for new things. http://lee-soft.com/vistart StartW8 Simple, easy, could be a bit more customizable The no-frills freeware app StartW8 throws up a fairly simplified iteration of Windows 7's Start Menu within your Windows 8 installation, up to and including the familiar scrollable list of folders and shortcuts buried within its "All Programs" link. Highlights A few-frills Start Menu app that gives you a classic, compact look. You can't really manipulate your typical Start Menu shortcuts (our kingdom for a "pinning" option!). It's a bit of a bummer that StartW8 doesn't come with a way to pin most-used shortcuts to the Start Menu itself, or even change the order in which your shortcuts appear on StartW8's "recent" section. Nestled within Start8's settings menu is a useful option that lets Windows 8 skip away from Modern and pull up your Windows Desktop when the OS loads. You're also allowed to disable Modern's hot corners in various configurations—we appreciate that Start8 resists an "all or nothing" approach. StartW8 lets you edit the menu items that the app tosses on the rightmost part of the Start Menu, but you can't customize your own shortcuts. www.areaguard.com/startw8 Pokki A lovely looking Start Menu… if it installs Pokki isn't so much a Start Menu replacement as it is a kitchen sink of utilities for the social enthusiast. In theory, the app gives you a brand-new Start Menu in Windows 8 that's packed full of far more than you probably need on your Start Menu, including hooks to an app store that you can use to supplement your Pokki Start Menu with social networking tie-ins, games, and other web-themed fare. Highlights Start Menu certainly looks pretty, but we're wary of additional tie-ins. Frustrating installation setup, in that it didn't work out for us at all. Perhaps Windows 8 (x64) users need not apply? The problem? It doesn't work. We had a great deal of trouble getting Pokki installed on our 64-bit system; either the app would install "correctly" and just not do anything (or even give the appearance that it was installed on our system), or the installation program would just hang, and hang, and hang. Trying to uninstall Pokki after an unsuccessful installation informed us that we didn't have sufficient rights to do so. Argh. www.pokki.com Click the next page to read about Start Menu 7 and more.   Start Menu 7 Display all the apps Boom! That's the sound Start Menu 7 should make the first time you click its four-color icon and get all of your programs blasted across your screen on one of the largest Start Menus we've ever encountered—thankfully, you can adjust the menu's height and width as if it were a standard Windows… window. Highlights All of your apps in one giant start menu! Virtual folders can help get your shortcuts a bit more organized. Creating a "Favorites list" of shortcuts is a little annoying. You can configure Start Menu 7 to load itself, or Modern's Start screen, via your keyboard's Windows Key (or Shift + Windows Key combination). Flipping Windows 8's hot corners on and off is as easy as clicking the available graphic and, yes, Start Menu 7 can bypass Modern when your system boots. The app comes with five different skins for its Start Menu. More importantly, you can use the app to create "virtual groups" of folders and shortcuts for extra organization. The app's "pinning" process for sticking shortcuts to the Start Menu could be a bit more streamlined, however. www.startmenu7.com StartIsback A Windows 7 Start Menu with little to no fuss As an Irish lad, this reviewer does appreciate that StartIsBack uses a shamrock embedded in an orb as the default icon for the Start Menu it jury-rigs into your operating system. Even better, the Start Menu itself looks and operates swimmingly—as if you ripped it straight out of Windows 7 and dumped it into Windows 8. In fact, we'd assume you were just natively running Microsoft's older OS if you sat us down at Windows 8's Desktop Mode with StartIsback running. It's that slick. Highlights Slick, smooth, and problem-free re-creation of the Windows 7 Start Menu. Tons of configuration options. You'll have to download a new Start Menu orb if you're not a big Ireland fan. StartIsBack comes with a number of configuration options for tweaking the look and feel of your Start Menu. The app also lets you bypass Modern entirely when booting, though it also gives you a host of options for configuring the nuances of Modern's hot corners. Our favorite trick? The option that lets you sticky a taskbar within Modern itself. Take that, Windows 8 UI design. $3, www.startisback.com RetroUI Pro More features than a standard Start Menu We like the look of RetroUI Pro, but some of its raw functionality—and default configurations—leave a little to be desired. For starters, we hate this Start Menu's "pinning" feature, which requires you to click into a separate "edit mode" to sticky your most-used apps to your Start Menu. A simple, ever-present "pin" icon could have solved this bit. We also think it's weird that Modern apps appear by default within your Start Menu's All Programs listing, a feature you can thankfully switch off within RetroUI Pro's settings. You can also configure away Modern's hot corners, but you can't specify which you'd like to toggle on or off—it's all or nothing. At least RetroUI Pro really lets you tweak the links that appear on the Start Menu itself. Highlights Plenty of customization. Built-in "ModernUI" Start Menu skin is downright atrocious; stick with Windows 7. TabletView gives you more of a visual, Modern-like shortcut list for launching apps. Additionally, RetroUI Pro's "Enforce" technology does a great job of sticking your taskbar to the bottom of the screen when you run Modern apps. $5, http://retroui.com Start8 Good looks meet powerful customizability As far as looks go, Start8 presents a very convincing replica of the Windows 7 Start Menu with a few fun twists. First up, switching between that and a Windows 8–themed start menu—a mini-Modern, as it were—is super-easy to do within Start8's simple configuration app. It's as easy as changing the skins on the Windows 7 Start Menu, and you get five of those to choose from. Highlights Powerful functionality (and multi-monitor options). Adding Start Menu shortcuts to custom locations on your system is a breeze. No way to sticky your taskbar to the bottom of Modern. As an aside, we love how all of your configuration changes occur in real time within the Start Menu—super-useful for testing out particular settings. Start8 allows you to customize the various shortcuts that appear on the right side of the Start Menu, including adding shortcuts to any custom locations you want. You can set how you want your Windows Key to work and how Modern's hot corners should run and, yes, Start8 lets you boot right into Desktop Mode, as well. Delightful! $5, www.stardock.com/products/start8 StartMenuPlus8 This isn't a Start Menu; this is a punishment The official website of StartMenuPlus8 looks a bit like a cross between a newbie Geocities site and a seizure, and we're glad to see that the app itself follows suit—consistency's important. Highlights Ugly Impractical We'd rather stick with Modern. The Start Menu button that StartMenuPlus8 creates on your taskbar is just a standard pinned application. You have to drag it over to the leftmost slot on your taskbar to mimic a start button and, even then, you get no way to disable Windows 8's hot corners within the app. It's hard to describe just how strange this app is, from its less-than-pleasing white-on-black color scheme; to its absurd amount of white space within the Start Menu itself; to the absurd level of unnecessary, difficult-to-parse detail packed into its single configuration window. You can't fire up the Start Menu and start typing out a search, and some of the app's own shortcut names don't even fit on its Start Menu screen. Yuck. $5, www.winok-msixray.com Five Other Ways to Tweak Windows 8 If you want to spruce up the look of the rest of your operating system, we've got you covered! It's been a year and change since the launch of Microsoft's Windows 8 OS, and it feels as if there's still a dearth of apps for tweaking the operating system proper—besides all of the aforementioned Start Menu programs, of course. Still, we've identified five apps that do a pretty great job of making Windows 8 prettier, at the very least, and in some instances add new functionality that will enhance your new Modern lifestyle. Now that you've souped-up your Start Menu, it's time to tackle the rest of the OS! ModernMix If you can't stand the full-screen takeover brought on by the Modern portion of Windows 8, then ModernMix is worth the cost of lunch. This super-useful app allows you to run Modern apps as if they were standard applications, run in standard windows, right from Windows 8's Desktop Mode. You can customize the size of the Modern apps themselves—in case you need a huge weather display, but just a tiny window for Skype—and you can pin them to your taskbar for easier access from your conventional desktop. $5, www.stardock.com/products/modernmix Decor8 We're big fans of those grayscale Windows 8 "wallpapers" for Modern's Start screen—and no, we're not being sarcastic. Even though they look a bit like someone pulled up their favorite Photoshop brush and went to town for a few minutes, they do add a pleasant aesthetic to Modern's tiled interface. But you know us—we like customization. The app Decor8 unlocks the ability to turn any background you want into a wallpaper for your Start screen. You can randomize the backgrounds to set intervals if you want your Start screen to always look new and fresh, and the app will even automatically select a new color scheme for your tiles based on the colors of the background image you've selected. Yes, the Windows 8.1 preview adds this functionality, but it could be an interim solution while you wait for the final version. $5, www.stardock.com/products/decor8 OblyTile If there's one thing we especially detest about Modern's interface, it's that system tiles and downloaded apps get all the eye candy and our poor, simple shortcuts get ignored. The freeware OblyTile doles out a little love for your ugly-looking shortcuts by giving you the opportunity to customize them with their own thumbnail image, background color, and text color. Who needs Modern's tile-grouping functionality when you have color coordination, anyhow? Free, http://oblytile.en.softonic.com Chameleon The customization continues! Now that we've successfully freshened up the look of your Start screen, it's time to give your Lock Screen a little bit of love—assuming you haven't already used Windows 8's Group Policy Editor to bypass the Lock Screen entirely. Chameleon, found via the Windows Store, isn't the most intuitive of Modern apps. However, what it lacks in instruction, it makes up for in comprehensiveness. Using the app, you can have Windows 8 automatically update your Lock Screen's background at set intervals and using a number of images from your computer's photo library or various online sources—including NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day and Bing's Picture of the Day, to name a few. Free, Windows App Store UltraUXThemePatcher This one's simple. If you want to be able to install third-party themes within Windows 8 (as in, community-created themes instead of those bestowed from Microsoft directly), you're going to need to patch your operating system with this simple tool. UltraUXThemePatcher is free, it's fast, and it even backs up the original files it overwrites in case you need to uninstall the utility for some reason. Free, http://ultrauxthemepatcher.en.softonic.com

Galaxy's White Hot GeForce GTX 780 Ti HOF V20 Graphics Card Sets 3DMark Record Posted: 11 Mar 2014 12:08 PM PDT It's a shame the this sexy PCB has to be covered with a heatsink Under normal circumstances, you'll never see the majority of your video card's PCB (printed circuit board), and that's too bad when it comes to Galaxy's GeForce GTX 780 Ti HOF (Hall of Fame) V20. This recently unveiled card sports a large white PCB, but not only are its looks unique, the card's performance is top notch, especially if you're willing to go the extra mile with some LN2 cooling. Overclocker "Mad Tse" did just that and promptly set a 3DMark world record for the single GPU category in Fire Strike Extreme, Galaxy announced on its Facebook page. His score of 8,479 was just enough to leapfrog into first place, which was also aided by an Asus Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard and Intel Core i7 4930K processor. A for the graphics card, wccftech.com says the PCB features a 16-phase core, 2-phase memory, and 3-phase PLL. It uses high-end components throughout, while the memory is equipped with its own heatspreader. Not for the faint of PSU, this monster card requires dual 8-pin PCI-E connectors and a single 6-pin PCI-E connector. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Staples Plans to Close 225 U.S. Stores by 2015 Posted: 11 Mar 2014 11:42 AM PDT Another electronics chain decides to shut down some stores to save costs Staples recently announced that it's going to close down 225 of its retail stores across the United States by the end of next year. The closures are intended to cust costs as Staples attempts to give itself a makeover. It's also in response to a growing number of products being sold on the company's website -- Staples ended 2013 with over 500,000 products on Staples.com versus 100,000 at the beginning of the year. "A year ago, we announced a plan to fundamentally reinvent our company," said Ron Sargent, Staples' chairman and chief executive officer. "With nearly half of our sales generated online today, we're meeting the changing needs of business customers and taking aggressive action to reduce costs and improve efficiency." Shutting down 225 stores is part of a overall cost-cutting program intended to save the company around $500 million. Staples currently has over 1,500 stores in the U.S., and over 2,200 around the world. The announcement comes just days after RadioShack announced plans of its own to shutter 1,100 "underperforming" retail locations in the U.S., as it too tries to reinvent its image. Image Credit: Flickr (MikeKalasnik) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Sony and Panasonic Jointly Develop Archival Disc Successor to Blu-ray Posted: 11 Mar 2014 10:51 AM PDT Archival disc roadmap extends to 1TB If you're wondering what comes next after Blu-ray, there's a good chance it could be the "Archival Disc," a new standard for professional use, next-generation optical discs that's been jointly developed by Sony and Panasonic. The objective is to expand the market for long-term digital data storage, and in the immediate future, that means 300GB write-once Archival Disc media, though that's just the beginning. Sony and Panasonic plan to launch systems with a recording capacity of 300GB per disc in the summer of 2015. Beyond that, both companies have laid out a roadmap that calls for 500GB discs and even 1TB discs, though no time frame is given for either capacity. What this also means is that optical media isn't on its deathbed. Though cloud storage solutions are convenient, Sony and Panasonic point out that optical discs have certain properties that protect themselves against the environment, such as dust-resistance and water-resistance, as well as the ability to withstand temperature and humidity changes when stored. "This makes them robust media for long-term storage of content," Sony and Panasonic said. "Recognizing that optical discs will need to accommodate much larger volumes of storage going forward, particularly given the anticipated future growth in the archive market, Sony and Panasonic have been engaged in the joint development of a standard for professional-use next-generation optical discs." Initial Archival Disc media will be double-sided discs with three layers per side. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Lenovo Comments on Strike at IBM Server Factory in China Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:17 AM PDT Over 1,000 IBM workers go on strike to protest deal with Lenovo Lenovo and IBM entered into a definitive agreement at the end of January in which Lenovo would acquire IBM's x86 server business for around $2.3 billion. As part of the deal, approximately 7,500 IBM employees in more than 60 countries would be offered employment by Lenovo, though concerns over wages have some workers protesting the deal. According to various reports, over 1,000 workers went on strike at one of IBM's factories in China. As far as Lenovo is concerned, it's up to IBM to deal with the matter. "This acquisition still requires the approval of relevant government and regulatory authorities. Lenovo and IBM are two independent companies. Any integration between Lenovo and IBM's x86 server department will not be conducted until the deal is closed. The strike at the IBM server factory in Shenzhen is an internal matter for IBM," Lenovo said in a statement on its website. At the same time, Lenovo is putting pressure on IBM to resolve the manner due to the fact that it views those workers as a "great asset and key" to the company's long term success. To help ease concerns on the part of striking workers, Lenovo vowed not to reduce their wages or benefits. "Lenovo will rely on these employees to build the business after closing and looks forward to welcoming them to Lenovo in several months' time," Lenovo added. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Zotac Builds an E-Series Zbox Mini PC for Gamers Posted: 11 Mar 2014 08:35 AM PDT A tiny PC with Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics One thing Zotac says it always wanted to do was to offer a pint-sized PC capable of playing games. Little things always got in the way of that -- you know, things like performance and heat dissipation. In that way, Intel's Haswell architecture and integrated Iris Pro 5200 graphics are quite literally game changers. Using those parts, Zotac entered CeBIT 2014 wielding a pair of new Zbox E-Series mini PCs designed for gamers. The first is the Zbox E1730. It comes with an Intel Core i5 4570R quad-core processor (2.7GHz to 3.2GHz, 4MB L2 cache) featuring Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics, two DDR3L SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 16GB of DDR3-1600 memory, a single 2.5-inch drive bay, 128MB eDRAM for video memory, 4-in-1 memory card reader, SATA 6Gbps and mSATA 6Gbps ports (one each), two DisplayPorts and DVI-O ports, two GbE LAN ports, onboard 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, four USB 3.0 ports, and onboard audio. Zotac's other E-Series Zbox is the E1750. It's configured the same as the E1730 except that it has an Intel Core i7 4770R quad-core processor that runs a bit faster at 3.2GHz to 3.9GHz, and contains more L2 cache (6MB). Both models are also available in "Plus" configurations, which come pre-populated with 8GB of DDR3 memory and a 1TB hard drive (5400 RPM). In our experience, Zbox machines are much better served with a solid state drive as opposed to a slow spinning hard drive. "Intel's latest Haswell architecture with quad-cores and Iris Pro 5200 graphics hits that sweet spot we need to fit in a Zbox chassis," said Carsten Berger, senior director, Zotac International. "The new Zbox E-series will deliver a smooth medium quality gaming experience and be perfect for LAN party-goers and gamers that want a compact gaming system." Zotac also rolled out a palm-sized Zbox Nano AQ02 for general computing chores. This tiny PC comes with an AMD A8-5545M quad-core APU (1.7GHz to 2.7GHz, 4MB L2 cache), a single DDR3 SO-DIMM slot, AMD Radeon HD 8510G graphics, 7-in-1 memory card reader, DisplayPort, HDMI, a single 2.5-inch SATA 6Gbps drive bay, eSATA, GbE LAN, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and onboard audio. The Plus version comes with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 500GB HDD (5400 RPM). Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i3 4130 Haswell, LG 23-inch IPS Monitor, and More! Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT Top Deal: Holy slice of silicon, Batman, is that another Haswell deal? Why yes, it sure is. And a well timed one, too, because you've been putting off that long overdue upgrade and somehow managed to avoid temptation to take advantage of one of the previous Haswell deals. It's easier than ever to finally make that leap over to Haswell with today's top deal for an Intel Core i3 4130 CPU for $113 with free shipping (normally $125 - use coupon code: [EMCPGPC24]. This dual-core chip operates at 3.4GHz, has 3MB of L3 cache, supports Hyper-Threading, and boasts Intel HD Graphics 4400. Other Deals: Acer G246HLAbd Black 24-inch 5ms Widescreen LED Monitor for $130 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code: [EMCPGPC22]) Intel Core i5-4430 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $175 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCPGPC26]) G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $138 with free shipping (normally $153 - use coupon code: [EMCPGPC29]) LG IPS234V-PN Black 23-inch 14ms HDMI LED Backlight IPS Monitor for $135 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [LCKYDEALS3])

You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMO Updates

---

• SOE has big plans for EverQuest, EverQuest II, and EQN Landmark in March
• Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's season finale doesn't quite soar
• Star Trek Online now available for Macs
• Ultima, WAR, DaoC vets form Citadel Studios, announce player-driven Shards title
• Star Citizen passes $40 million, details player-driven Galactapedia
• The Daily Grind: What was the best WoW expansion?
• Embers of Caerus website is nuked by its host
• Not So Massively: Elite's alpha, Diablo III's commercial, and Star Citizen's 40M milestone
• RuneScape's got a new 'one of a kind' grandmaster quest
• SWTOR introduces update 2.7's brand-new Huttball pit
• EA's CEO talks gaming modality, virtual reality futures
• Fallen Earth gives a sneak peek at its player-built town
• EverQuest Next Landmark throws a fashion show
• The Elder Scrolls Online answers community crafting questions
• RIFT's Arbiter and Physician are incoming
• World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor is launching by December 20th
• Perpetuum Online plans a Steam-based marketing push via Early Access
• EVE's Rubicon 1.3 patch updating directional scanning

SOE has big plans for EverQuest, EverQuest II, and EQN Landmark in March Posted: 11 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Interviews, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next The Year of EverQuest may still be in its early stages, but that doesn't mean that things are going slowly. EverQuest, EverQuest II, and EverQuest Next Landmark have all churned out their share of updates (not to mention EQNL's alpha launch!), with plenty more on the way. And to let you in on what's in the pipeline for these three titles, I got to speak with all the games' producers -- EQ's Thom Terrazas, EQII's Holly Longdale, and EQNL's Terry Michaels -- as well as Franchise Director of Development Dave Georgeson about March's upcoming content. To help illustrate their words, we've also embedded a video after the break that highlights that very content. Continue reading SOE has big plans for EverQuest, EverQuest II, and EQN Landmark in March SOE has big plans for EverQuest, EverQuest II, and EQN Landmark in March originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's season finale doesn't quite soar Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, Patches, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play I've been critical of Guild Wars 2's living world over the past year. It was an experiment that I thought sounded excellent on paper but hadn't proved itself in practice. ArenaNet's goals for the story were very ambitious, but most video game fans -- and MMO players especially -- are used to developers talking up lofty plans and then delivering products that don't quite leave the ground. These days it's easy to let go of some disappointment if we're promised a flying car and instead get a new four-door sedan that actually works as opposed to, say, a Biturbo that rattles apart on the highway. GW2 at launch was at least airborne, and it had a good foundation to build on. The question was whether or not ArenaNet would build on it. Now that we've seen the last part of the first living world story arc, I am ready to tentatively classify GW2 as being in the "hovering" stage of flight. Jump past the cut and let's talk about Battle For Lion's Arch -- but only if you're cool with spoilers. Are we cool with spoilers? Cool. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's season finale doesn't quite soar Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's season finale doesn't quite soar originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online now available for Macs Posted: 11 Mar 2014 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play Apple fans, you can stop using Bootcamp to play Star Trek Online on your Mac. Cryptic and Perfect World have just announced the sci-fi MMOs availability via a press release. "Star Trek fans have been asking for Star Trek Online on Mac since we launched in 2010. Thanks to the tremendous success we've had with the game, we're excited to be expanding the galaxy again" Cryptic CTO and Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo explained. "We know there's a large gaming community that thrives on Mac and we're thrilled to finally be able to let them experience Star Trek Online. It simply looks amazing on Mac widescreens." Click past the cut for the full press release. [Source: Cryptic and Perfect World press release] Continue reading Star Trek Online now available for Macs Star Trek Online now available for Macs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ultima, WAR, DaoC vets form Citadel Studios, announce player-driven Shards title Posted: 11 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content What do you get when you combine the dev talents of Derek Brinkmann, Chris Ondrus and Tim Cotten? Apparently you get a new firm called Citadel Studios which is building an Ultima Online-inspired "game that will enable players to customize their experience and change the face of player collaboration forever." The project is codenamed Shards, and it draws on the dev trio's experiences building Dark Age of Camelot, Warhammer Online, UO, and classic Elder Scrolls RPGs. "We left our soul-crushing, corporate jobs to make the games we'd actually play," says Brinkmann, founder and CEO of Citadel Studios. "Ultimately the community will dictate what Shards becomes, because we're not just providing a game but also a platform for players to express their creativity." Citadel's press release is light on game-specific details, but it states that the company is "ignoring the modern online gaming imperative to squeeze every last cent from every player." Shards will "give players more power than ever before, without constantly asking them to take out their wallets." The firm has released a brief teaser trailer which you can watch by clicking past the cut. [Source: Citadel press release] Continue reading Ultima, WAR, DaoC vets form Citadel Studios, announce player-driven Shards title Ultima, WAR, DaoC vets form Citadel Studios, announce player-driven Shards title originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Citizen passes $40 million, details player-driven Galactapedia Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Star Citizen has officially cracked the $40 million crowdfunding mark. Cloud Imperium boss Chris Roberts penned another celebratory letter, which details the two backer-voted star systems unlocked as a result of surpassing the magic number. Roberts also unveiled the newest stretch goal, which features multiple rewards including a Gladius fighter craft, a mobiGlas rig, and an updated Observist portion of Star Citizen's Galactapedia. The Galactapedia is arguably the most interesting development, as it will "integrate directly into the game universe and respond in real time as players steer the course of SC's world." "We envision making the news with an impressive feat in the Galactapedia as a major goal for many players," Roberts writes. "If you're the one who finally defeats the Dread Pirate Roberts, charts a new Jump Point or makes the Advocacy's Most Wanted list, your actions will become memorialized for all time in the Galactapedia! What's more, the Galactapedia will be available both inside Star Citizen and through the RSI website." Star Citizen passes $40 million, details player-driven Galactapedia originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Roberts letter

The Daily Grind: What was the best WoW expansion? Posted: 11 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Polls, Expansions, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, MMORPG Last November, Massively's sister site WoW Insider posed this very simple question to its readers: What was your favorite World of Warcraft expansion? Wrath of the Lich King took over half the vote, with Burning Crusade trailing far behind, which surprised me. I'd consider Wrath to have been the game's peak myself, but I always assumed TBC would beat it in a straight-up poll. But maybe the difference here is that WoW Insider's fanbase is made up mostly of current players, whereas on Massively we're catering to more of a pre-and-post-WoW community. So today, we're asking you: What was the best WoW expansion? View Poll 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 was the best WoW expansion? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Thanks to Pascalin of the Steamwheedle Cartel for the Dalaran image!

Embers of Caerus website is nuked by its host Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Legal, Sandbox Website woes have hit Caerus hard in the embers, if you get our drift. Embers of Caerus' site was nuked by its host, and it looks as though some data may have been lost for good. The problems began back in early February, when the sandbox MMO's website went down. Regular posts on Facebook indicated that the site would come back, but that changed when the game's creator realized that agreements between the company and the website host lapsed. Subsequent renegotiations did not go well, and the site has remained offline. "After lengthy discussions with the host, it seems they're absolutely unwilling to work with us," the team posted on Facebook today. "They're basically wanting a big chunk of change that Forsaken Studios can't afford. Unfortunately, because they shut everything down without us being aware that it was happening/impending, they also have a lot of data on their servers that we no longer have access to. Obviously, some of that which was hosted was the website and everything on it. I'm not certain where we're moving to from this point, but this monkey wrench definitely hurt." Embers of Caerus website is nuked by its host originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Embers of Caerus Facebook

Not So Massively: Elite's alpha, Diablo III's commercial, and Star Citizen's 40M milestone Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Expansions, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, Previews, News Items, MMOFPS, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, Crowdfunding Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs. Massively's Jef Reahard delivered alpha impressions of Elite: Dangerous. Path of Exile's free Sacrifice of the Vaal expansion arrived. Diablo III unveiled a new commercial spot, jacked up XP gain for level-junkies, previewed the Crusader, and explored the Blood Marsh and its music. League of Legends discussed its upcoming team builder. Star Citizen boasted of its 212-person dev team and plans for a dogfighting module; it also crossed the 40 million mark today. Dota 2's The International tournament will likely be moving to Key Arena in Seattle in mid-July. Transformers Universe hinted at beta preparations ahead of its summer launch. Heroes of the Storm posted a Diablo-themed heroes preview, another one for StarCraft and Warcraft, and 17-minute video of its Dragon Shire map (after the cut). Continue reading Not So Massively: Elite's alpha, Diablo III's commercial, and Star Citizen's 40M milestone Not So Massively: Elite's alpha, Diablo III's commercial, and Star Citizen's 40M milestone originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RuneScape's got a new 'one of a kind' grandmaster quest Posted: 10 Mar 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Lore, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Browser Jagex has announced RuneScape's new 'One of a Kind' grandmaster epic quest, which it says is both the first major update of its "lore-packed March" as well as part of an initiative to take the fantasy game's questing "back to its roots." "You'll travel the world, uncover the lost library of Robert the Strong, and the fate of a dying people will rest in your hands," according to the announcement on the RuneScape website. As you might imagine, there are plenty of spiffy rewards, but the quest does boast some significant entry requirements. RuneScape's got a new 'one of a kind' grandmaster quest originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

SWTOR introduces update 2.7's brand-new Huttball pit Posted: 10 Mar 2014 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, MMORPG The Star Wars: The Old Republic site has today updated with a dev blog penned by Associate Designer Alex Modny, who outlines the new Huttball mode coming with update 2.7. The pit is located on Quesh and features more traps and a more vertical layout than the pit on Nar Shaddaa: Where the original Huttball Pit was setup in a rectangle with the end zones at each of the longer ends, the Quesh Pit is setup more as an upside down pyramid with the Huttball stand at the apex and the end zones at the base. [...] Toxic sludge pipes will rain down acidic pain upon anyone unlucky enough to get caught in the downpour. In addition to dealing damage, the toxic sludge also slows down its victims as the goo sticks to their booties! The new map also incorporates "magnetic grapple blaster tables," which allow players not carrying the Huttball to scale the structure and gain access to its second level. SWTOR introduces update 2.7's brand-new Huttball pit originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: SWTOR dev blog

EA's CEO talks gaming modality, virtual reality futures Posted: 10 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson talked up his company's plans for virtual reality tech at last weekend's SXSW Gaming expo. Wilson told Polygon that "there's clearly a desire to add a modality of play to the three we're focusing on." Said modalities include "lean back" which focuses on the living room experience, "lean in" which focuses on PC proximity, and "lean over" which relates to mobile devices. "When I look at any of the VR devices, I look at that not in terms of 'what is that device going to deliver' but a desire for gamers to have a different type of modality," Wilson explained. "The 'get In' type of modality, right? That might be delivered to you through a headset or through some hologram that evolves out of your living room floor." EA's CEO talks gaming modality, virtual reality futures originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Polygon Via: GI.biz

Fallen Earth gives a sneak peek at its player-built town Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Fallen Earth, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Housing The Fallen Earth team is hard at work on the next major update of the game, which will include a player-built town called the Outpost. In a new state of the game post, the devs show off a few of the structures in this town. "Since the plot for the area revolves around the Outsiders and GlobalTech, we wanted to take advantage of those groups' love of technology and give the buildings some high tech pieces as well as keeping the aged pre-fall feel," the devs wrote. The Outpost will be bigger and "more robust" than Citadel and should be hitting the live servers some time in May. Fallen Earth gives a sneak peek at its player-built town originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Fallen Earth blog

EverQuest Next Landmark throws a fashion show Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Sandbox Attention class! Pull up your chairs and mist your eyeballs because it's time for an EverQuest Next Landmark fashion show! SOE put out a short video today showing off the various models and colors of outfits that are in the game, including the sleek sci-fi Colony outfit, the steampunky Victorian outfit, and the utilitarian Adventurer outfit. There's also a "coming soon" teaser at the end with concept art hinting at other types of outfits. Give it a watch after the break and let us know what you'll be wearing in the game! Continue reading EverQuest Next Landmark throws a fashion show EverQuest Next Landmark throws a fashion show originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Elder Scrolls Online answers community crafting questions Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, News Items, Consoles, Crafting, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription The Elder Scrolls Online wants crafting to be a major part of your experience in the game. The latest set of answers to community questions makes this very clear, outright stating that the vast majority of crafted gear is meant to be superior to found equipment. Yes, certain items from the world might have unique boosts that you can't craft, but even those items can be upgraded and improved by dedicated crafters. Dedication is a key consideration: Since your pool of skill points is the same for both battle skills and crafting skills, choosing to advance your crafting abilities will potentially mean passing on more combat-oriented techniques. Other topics under discussion are the finding and use of style books as well as how set bonuses and crafted sets are designed in the game. Check out the full list of answers if you can't wait to make your mark in Tamriel by making things. The Elder Scrolls Online answers community crafting questions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ask Us Anything: Crafting

RIFT's Arbiter and Physician are incoming Posted: 10 Mar 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Subscription Patch 2.7 is delivering a bundle of four new souls to RIFT, and that means that every calling will be able to play every role in the game. The support Cleric soul (Oracle) and the healing Warrior soul (Liberator) have already been revealed, but what will Rogues and Mages get? The details were in the most recent livestream: Rogues get Physician as a specific healing soul, while Mages will be able to tank with the addition of the Arbiter soul. According to the most recent development livestream, a great deal of internal testing is being done to ensure that all four new souls remain functional and competitive, even though they're being added before an expansion. Players can keep their eyes peeled for later in the week when the Physician and Arbiter both get revealed ahead of their test realm implementation. These four souls will be purchasable as a bundle, although no announcements on price have yet been made. RIFT's Arbiter and Physician are incoming originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFT Junkies

World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor is launching by December 20th Posted: 10 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, Expansions, News Items, Subscription Just yesterday, World of Warcraft gave everyone a look at just how important reaching the level cap could be. Today, the game is opening up independent level 90 boosts for everyone via the in-game store, and they're still priced at $60 a pop. It's bad news if you have an army of alts you want to speed along to the level cap, but it's good news if you have that army of alts and more money than you know what to do with. A tutorial video is embedded just past the break to show you how to make use of this feature. Even if you're not up for buying one of the boosts, you might be looking forward to getting one along with your purchase of Warlords of Draenor. So when's that expansion actually coming out? According to the official site, it will be releasing on or before December 20th of this year, which means it's definitely coming out this year but leaves the field wide open in terms of when. Keep your eyes peeled for rollbacks on that date, as it's more likely that the expansion will be out long before the end of the year. Continue reading World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor is launching by December 20th World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor is launching by December 20th originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Character boosts available in-game, WoD on or before 12/20

Perpetuum Online plans a Steam-based marketing push via Early Access Posted: 10 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Launches, MMO Industry, Perpetuum While Perpetuum Online has already been Greenlit on Steam (and was launched almost four years ago), a recent forum post by DEV Zoom states that the team plans to re-brand on Steam as part of the Early Access program. This has caused a bit of a stir in the forums as some players believe this will send the wrong message. "Since the game's been released for 3-4 years or whatever," player Norrdec observes, "isn't going early access kinda... fraudulent?" DEV Zero later clarifies: "The main reason for it is because we have no idea what to expect regarding player numbers and how the servers will take it. We need to warn people that there can be server issues, lag, etc., in the beginning and stuff can break badly. And right now on Steam, being early access is the best way to bring this to people's attention. Obviously we'll tell them this in the developer's notes box and that we've been out for years already." Be sure to check out the entire thread for more on the Early Access plans and a proposed Gamma wipe in the near future. [Thanks to Anon for the tip!] Perpetuum Online plans a Steam-based marketing push via Early Access originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE's Rubicon 1.3 patch updating directional scanning Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Sandbox CCP's latest EVE Online dev blog focuses on some UI changes headed your way in the March 12 Rubicon 1.3 update. Tweaks include word filtering and chat highlighting, Neocom blink settings, and updates to the game's directional scanner functionality. "As of Rubicon 1.3, you will have three ways to enter the scan range: one slider and two input fields (one in km and another one in AU)," CCP explains. "Those three input options will be interconnected. That means that when you enter 100,000 in the km field, the AU input field will display the corresponding distance in AU and the slider, which is linear, will also update." EVE's Rubicon 1.3 patch updating directional scanning originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610