General Gaming Article

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• Google Announces Gmail Always Encrypted Now
• No BS Podcast #220: Windows 8.1 with Bing, Nvidia 800M Series, Intel NUCs and SSDs
• Microsoft Spills the Beans on DirectX 12, SupportedTitles Scheduled for Holiday 2015
• Crytek Rains on Unreal Engine 4's Parade with $10 Royalty-Free CryEngine Subscription Plan
• AMD and Crytek Ink Deal to Wedge Support for Mantle API into CryEngine
• Valve’s "Free to Play" Movie Review
• Several PC Makers to Test Market for Smaller All-in-One PCs
• Former Microsoft Employee in Hot Water for Allegedly Leaking Windows 8 Trade Secrets
• CyberPowerPC Releases Mega Miner PC Series for Mining Cryptocurrencies
• Newegg Daily Deals: Antec Three Hundred Case, Samsung 840 Evo 1TB SSD, and More!

Google Announces Gmail Always Encrypted Now Posted: 20 Mar 2014 06:39 PM PDT Privacy is the name of the game Google has announced that Gmail will always use an encrypted HTTPS connection, encryption was implemented back in 2010 as a default option, for users sending and checking their email starting today. According to Google, this means that no one will be able to listen in if using Gmail on public Wi-Fi, phone, tablet, or computer.  If that weren't enough, Gmail security engineering lead Nicolas Lidzborski revealed that all emails will be encrypted saying, "In addition, every single email message you send or receive—100 percent of them—is encrypted while moving internally. This ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail's servers, but also as they move between Google's data centers—something we made a top priority after last summer's revelations." Lidzborski is referring to the revelation, courtesy of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, that the NSA would intercept email messages moving between data centers and servers as part of its strategy.  The implementation of the encrypted emails is good news for those wishing for privacy from agencies such as the NSA. However, last August it was reported that Google had been accused of scanning Gmail users' email messages and that the company believed people have no "reasonable expectation" concerning their communications being confidential. The discovery was made when a class action lawsuit was filed against Google claiming the company "unlawfully opens up, reads, and acquires the content of people's private email messages."  Google's response to these accusations was that it was "an attempt to criminalize ordinary business practices." How do you feel now that the NSA can, supposedly, no longer read your email? Sound off in the comments below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

No BS Podcast #220: Windows 8.1 with Bing, Nvidia 800M Series, Intel NUCs and SSDs Posted: 20 Mar 2014 04:42 PM PDT Cheaper Windows 8, smaller PCs, SSDs of the future, reader questions, and a rant We've assembled once again in the podcasting dungeon to argue about Windows 8 and the latest hardware; also known as the No BS Podcast episode #220. We begin by discussing Microsoft's strategy to give Bing a shot in the arm by packaging the search engine with a more-affordable version of Windows 8.1, and then we chat a bit about Nvidia's 800M mobile GPU series and its ability to conserve battery life. Next Gordon gives us his thoughts on wee PCs and finally Josh talks about his recent visit to Intel's SSD testing facility. We finish by answering reader questions, giving you our Editor's Picks, and letting Gordon pontificate in his trademark manner.     Editors' Picks Tom McNamara: Pixel Dungeon Gordon Ung: Surface Pro Josh Norem: Team Viewer, GFYcat.com Jimmy Thang: KeePass Stalk us on the following networks: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Become a fan 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!

Microsoft Spills the Beans on DirectX 12, SupportedTitles Scheduled for Holiday 2015 Posted: 20 Mar 2014 02:12 PM PDT DirectX 12 provides developers with lower level access to hardware Microsoft unveiled details about its DirectX 12 API at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) today. According to Microsoft, its team of engineers redesigned the API with a focus on speed and efficiency. DX12 will enable richer scenes, more objects, and fully utilize modern GPU hardware. On top of it all, DX12 works across different types of Microsoft devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and the Xbox One. Let the comparisons to AMD's Mantle API begin, primarily because both technologies promise a deeper level of access to the hardware. "[DX12] provides a lower level of hardware abstraction than ever before, allowing games to significantly improve multithread scaling and CPU utilization," Microsoft stated in a blog post. "In addition, games will benefit from reduced GPU overhead via features such as descriptor tables and concise pipeline state objects. And that's not all – Direct3D 12 also introduces a set of new rendering pipeline features that will dramatically improve the efficiency of algorithms such as order-independent transparency, collision detection, and geometry culling." Perhaps the biggest news for some is that DirectX 12 will run on most of the cards out in the wild today, so you don't need to wrestle with the question of whether or not it's worth it to upgrade. Obviously it's too early to make any kind of conclusions about DX12, but so far, it looks promising. To show off what's capable with the new API, Microsoft ported Futuremark's 3DMark benchmark to use Direct3D 12, which resulted in two major improvements. The first is a 50 percent improvement in CPU utilization, and the second is better distribution of work among threads. There are a lot of other things going on with DX12, some of which will be revealed at a later date. As for when you'll see DX12 games, Microsoft says it's targeting the holiday period in 2015. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Crytek Rains on Unreal Engine 4's Parade with $10 Royalty-Free CryEngine Subscription Plan Posted: 20 Mar 2014 12:26 PM PDT In a game of one-upmanship, Crytek undercuts Epic Games on subscription pricing model Crytek today announced the launch of its "Engine-as-a-Service" (EaaS) program, which is a fancy pants way of saying developers can license its CryEngine technology on a subscription basis. The cost is $9.90 per month, which trumps the $19 per month subscription plan Epic Games rolled out for its Unreal Engine 4. Further upping the ante, developers who subscribe to the EaaS program don't have to make any royalty payments on commercial products they build using CryEngine, whereas Epic Games requires a 5 percent kickback. "When we announced the new CryEngine this was our first step towards creating an engine as a service. We are happy to announce now that the latest update of CryEngine will soon be available to all developers on a subscription basis," said Carl Jones, Crytek's Director of Business Development. "We are really excited to make CryEngine available to hundreds of thousands of developers working with Crytek to make awesome games." EaaS subscribers will have access to same exact toolset that was used to create Ryse: Son of Rome. Now in its fourth generation, the latest version of CryEngine was optimized for the newest consoles, though it also added support for Linux. CryEngine can also be used to build titles for older consoles, as well as Windows PCs. Some new features to CryEngine include Physically Based Shading to simulate the interaction between light and materials using real world physics, Geometry Cache to compute cache-based animations, some advances in character animation and rendering, and Image Based Lighting. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

AMD and Crytek Ink Deal to Wedge Support for Mantle API into CryEngine Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:56 AM PDT Mantle notches another milestone It remains to be seen if AMD's Mantle API can be a game changing force, but it at least bodes well that developers are showing interest. The newest member to the Mantle team is Crytek, which entered into a technology partnership with AMD to add native Mantle support to its CryEngine game engine. Make no mistake, this is a big win for AMD, which itself is still figuring out how best to utilize Mantle. Bear in mind that Mantle is still a beta product that's gone from concept to development in two short years. We've already seen some performance gains as a result of Mantle, and while the API won't magically transform an inept gaming PC into a pixel pushing power house, some of the performance boosts at this early stage have been impressive. Now we'll get to see what Mantle can bring to CryEngine titles. "Crytek prides itself on enabling CryEngine with the latest and most impressive rendering capabilities," said Cevat Yerli, Founder, CEO & President of Crytek. "By integrating AMD's new Mantle API, CryEngine will gain a dimension of 'lower level' hardware access that enables extraordinary efficiency, performance and hardware control." CryEngine has been powering games since 2004. The latest iteration was used to make Ryse: Son of Rome for the Xbox One as well as a small handful of other titles. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Valve’s "Free to Play" Movie Review Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:28 AM PDT Not just a good videogame documentary, but one of the best documentaries. Period. Dota 2 is one of the most competitive and popular online games today. While Valve's complex strategy game may sound intimidating to someone unfamiliar with the massive online battle arena (MOBA) genre, the goals of the game are fairly straightforward: Two teams of five players are engaged in a territorial tug of war and the ultimate goal of each match is to destroy the enemy base. While the premise is relatively simple, the depth and skilled required to master the game has captivated millions around the world.  Free to Play centers around teams duking it out in Dota 2 tournament for a million-dollar cash prize.  Before I saw Free to Play, I was skeptical that Valve could put together a compelling and engaging film centered around a videogame. I am happy to admit that my initial hesitations were proven wrong as Free to Play not only turns out to be a great documentary about e-sports and video games, but one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Period.  Valve's documentary Free to Play is also free to watch. Before I delve more into the review, I should let you know that I don't play Dota 2 or know anything about its online community. As a matter of fact, I have never really followed e-sports in general. Regardless, this did not prevent me from enjoying the documentary one bit.  The film's story centers on the first Dota 2 International tournament held in Cologne, Germany, in 2011. This unprecedented tournament featured a prize pool of 1.6 million dollars. The winning team would walk away with a million dollars, which at the time was the largest single cash prize for any e-sports tournament ever. The film highlights several international teams, but focuses on three major players that include "HyHy" (Benedict Lim Han Yong) of Singapore, "Dendi" (Danylo Ishutin) of Ukraine, and "Fear" (Clinton Loomis) from the US. The film shows how each player got into the game and throughout the process, you see trials and tribulations that any person could relate to, whether they play videogames or not. You get a strong sense of their passion and see how much they've had to sacrifice to become the best players in the world. The story is fantastic, emotional, and definitely something both PC gamers and non-gamers can both enjoy. It's a film even your non-gaming mother could appreciate and enjoy.  The pacing of the film was also well done. We watched the film in a theatre packed with journalists and game developers, and by the time it ended, we were surprised that only an hour and sixteen minutes had passed. Valve said they will have more content coming in the next few days, and they will roll out new snippets periodically. The company also said they filmed over 100-hours of footage in making of Free to Play so hopefully all of that starts trickling online soon. In the end, we highly recommend watching this documentary because it is truly a fantastic film with a strong story, great pacing, and fun, likeable characters. This is the movie you'll want to show your family and friends that don't understand why you play competitive online games.  Instead of giving the movie a review score, we're just going to simply say that you should watch it. It is free to play after all, what do you have to lose? The movie is currently available on Steam and YouTube, and will be coming to iTunes soon.

Several PC Makers to Test Market for Smaller All-in-One PCs Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:47 AM PDT Get ready to see 15-inch and 17-inch all-in-one systems We're still waiting on someone to build a premium 30-inch all-in-one (AIO) with high-end gaming components, ample cooling, and easy upgrade features. Perhaps someday. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a handful of PC makers are reportedly going to test the market for smaller size AIO PCs. We're talking 15-inch to 17-inch models, which some surmise could decrease the demand for larger laptops. Citing information obtained from supply chain players in Taiwan, news and rumor site Digitimes says Hewlett-Packard (HP), Asus, and "other vendors" are all on board with the smaller AIO movement. As the market currently stands, over 70 percent of AIO PCs range in size from 21 inches to 23 inches, with 23-inch models being the most popular, according to Digitimes. By going smaller, OEMs can offer users more affordable AIO models. HP currently ships between 2 million and 2.5 million AIO PCs per year at an average selling price of $600. That will come down if smaller AIOs prove popular. In addition to smaller displays, system builders have begun experimenting with Chrome OS-based AIO PCs, as well. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Former Microsoft Employee in Hot Water for Allegedly Leaking Windows 8 Trade Secrets Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:35 AM PDT An ex-Microsoft worker is accused of sending confidential Windows information to a French blogger One of Microsoft's former employees has been arrested and ordered held without bail for allegedly leaking Windows 8 trade secrets to a French blogger, court documents revealed today. His name is Alex Kibkalo and he used to work for the Redmond outfit in Lebanon and Russia. Prosecutors in the case claim that Kibkalo provided the blogger with confidential Microsoft documents, including screenshots of unreleased versions of Windows. Microsoft's main beef here doesn't appear to be that Kibkalo supplied screen captures to the blogger, who then posted them online for all the Internet to see. The bigger issue is that of allegedly sharing "proprietary and confidential trade secrets," including actual code, via email to the blogger's Hotmail account, The Register reports. According to court documents, Kibkalo shared Microsoft's Activation Server Software Development Kit (SDK) along with unreleased versions of Windows Live Messenger. The documents point out that having access to the SDK could allow a hacker to reverse engineer the code that's put in place to protect against piracy. Kibkalo was in Lebanon at the time the alleged leak took place. Based on the findings of an internal investigation by Microsoft and that of the FBI, it's believed that Kibkalo used a virtual machine on a Microsoft server to send the files from a mail.ru account. It's also said that the two talked about the illegal exchange on MSN chat. Why do it, if in fact he's found guilty? Investigators believe he was motivated by a poor performance review he received after having been employed at Microsoft for 7 years. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

CyberPowerPC Releases Mega Miner PC Series for Mining Cryptocurrencies Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:07 AM PDT Put your mining hat on Loretta Lynn already captured in song what it's like being a coal miner's daughter, but the market is wide open if someone wants to list some lyrics about being raised by a virtual coin miner. In the meantime, if digging for cryptocurrencies is your thing, consider CyberPowerPC your company store -- it's where you can purchase tools for the job, including a new Mega Miner series of systems designed for gaming and virtual coin mining. "The Mega Miner series is powered by AMD's Radeon R9 series graphics cards, which provide up to 1000KHash/sec on a single card," CyberPowerPC says. "With the ability to add up to three cards per system, the Mega Miner has been intelligently designed with the GPU power to perform the necessary calculations faster to earn more coins." While an AMD graphics card is the obvious choice for coin miners, you can choose between an Intel or AMD processor foundation.  The three baseline models look like this: Mega Miner 100 AMD FX-4300 Processor 4GB DDR3-PC1600 2 x AMD R9 270X 2GB Graphics Gigabyte 970A-DS3P MB 500GB SATA3 7200 RPM HDD 24X DVD±R/±RW Drive MS Windows 8.1 + Office 365 MSRP $989 Mega Miner 200 AMD FX-4300 Processor 4GB DDR3-PC1600 3 x AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB Graphics ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX Motherboard 500GB SATA3 7200 RPM HDD 24X DVD±R/±RW Drive MS Windows 8.1 + Office 365 MSRP $1929 Mega Miner 300 Intel Core i3-4130 Processor 4GB DDR3-PC1600 3 x AMD R9 290 4GB Graphics MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX Motherboard 1TB SATA3 7200 RPM HDD 24X DVD±R/±RW Drive MS Windows 8.1 + Office 365 MSRP $2569 All three system systems are configurable and available to purchase now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Antec Three Hundred Case, Samsung 840 Evo 1TB SSD, and More! Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:10 AM PDT Top Deal: Remember Larry, the guy with the crusty old PC? Well, we're determined to get this fictitious character up to speed with a new system, one piece at a time. Yesterday he picked out an affordable processor, and today he's going to be even more stoked by the top deal -- its' for an Antec Three Hundred Mid Tower Case for $35 with free shipping (normally $55 - use coupon coude: [EMCPGWF36]). That's a pittance to pay for a name brand chassis. This one has a bottom-mounted 2.5-inch drive bay, six 3.5-inch drive bays, three 5.25-inch bays, a washable air filter, CPU cutout, and several other amenities. Other Deals: Samsung 840 Evo MZ-7TE1T0BW 2.5-inch 1TB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive for $462 (normally $470 - use coupon code: [EMCYTZT58829]) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory for $74 with free shipping (normally $87 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF34]) AMD FX-4300 Vishera 3.8GHz (4.0GHz) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $100 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF25]) Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard for $170 with free shipping

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MMO Updates

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• Norrathian Notebook: Happy 15th anniversary, EverQuest!
• Black Gold's closed alpha starts today
• Allods Team and Obsidian unveil Skyforge announcement trailer
• New Elder Scrolls Online API changes affect UI mods
• GDC 2014: Ubisoft shows off its Divison-powering Snowdrop engine
• Hands-on with WildStar's PvP
• Guild Wars 2 announces 'April 2014 Feature Pack'
• The Daily Grind: Do you still expect MMOs to be 'fun'?
• Boatloads of classes are coming to Pathfinder Online
• Make My MMO: Crowdfunding March 9 - March 15, 2014
• Order of Magic releases on popular GameXP Connect F2P platform
• Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade plans to launch a founder program
• Here's how you can play World of Tanks Blitz on your iOS device
• Blizzard wins court case over patent troll Worlds Inc.
• Choose My Adventure: MAXing out in PlanetSide 2
• The Secret World fans get a persistent ARG
• Leaderboard: ArcheAge vs. ESO vs. WildStar... Fight!
• Elder Scrolls Online's crafting is as easy or complex as you want it to be
• PlanetSide 2 players make thousands from Player Studio
• GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben
• Final Fantasy XIV half-off on Amazon
• The Soapbox: Does Trion realize what it has in ArcheAge?

Norrathian Notebook: Happy 15th anniversary, EverQuest! Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Events (In-Game), Free-to-Play, Anniversaries, Norrathian Notebook This past Sunday marked the 15th anniversary of EverQuest. Any way you look at it, 15 years is a long time, and few are the games that can make this claim to fame. Such an achievement is certainly worth a hullabaloo! Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've witnessed a bit of this celebration; it's been touted across the entire franchise (not to mention the rest of SOE's portfolio!). Much has been said about the journey from day one until now, with folks sharing stories that span the entire life of EQ. Devs even offered an infographic highlighting how far the game has come since 1999. What a difference 15 years makes! But what about the difference just one year makes? Today's Norrathian Notebook is an anniversary retrospective that looks back at the last 12 months in the life of EverQuest. Join me for a jaunt down memory lane to see how Norrath has evolved this past year, then take advantage of the special deals and festivities commemorating this auspicious year. Continue reading Norrathian Notebook: Happy 15th anniversary, EverQuest! Norrathian Notebook: Happy 15th anniversary, EverQuest! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Gold's closed alpha starts today Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Steampunk, Black Gold Snail has announced that the closed alpha for its steampunk Black Gold MMO begins today. Eligible players will be able to test through March 30th. If you're wondering how to become one of those eligible players, it's as easy as registering a Snail account, filling out a survey, and hoping for the best. If that doesn't appeal to you, the company says it will be "distributing access keys on a wider scale as Black Gold Online approaches its Closed Beta testing period later this year." [Source: Snail press release] Continue reading Black Gold's closed alpha starts today Black Gold's closed alpha starts today originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Allods Team and Obsidian unveil Skyforge announcement trailer Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play Obsidian is getting into the MMO business, as we initially reported almost a year ago. Now, the famed RPG maker and developer Allods Team have officially announced the Skyforge project to western audiences via a new video. Yes, that's the same Allods Team responsible for Allods Online, and it's also worth noting that the game is bankrolled by My.com which is a subsidiary of Russian publishing giant Mail.Ru. Skyforge is a free-to-play sci-fantasy MMORPG "set in a brand new universe of gods and heroes who use futuristic technologies to fight off incredible creatures and protect their planet against space invasions," according to the announcement post on the game's official forums. You can view the trailer after the cut. [Thanks Feodor!] Continue reading Allods Team and Obsidian unveil Skyforge announcement trailer Allods Team and Obsidian unveil Skyforge announcement trailer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

New Elder Scrolls Online API changes affect UI mods Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription Modding and The Elder Scrolls series have long been a match made in gamer heaven, but ZeniMax's latest API changes to The Elder Scrolls Online has the fantasy MMO's modding community up in arms. In a nutshell, the new version of the API removes the ability to track what others are doing to your avatar. You'll still see various effects, but you'll no longer see which spell was cast. The impetus behind the changes seems to be to level the playing field between those using the standard UI and those using add-ons like Foundry Tactical Combat. [Thanks Andre!] New Elder Scrolls Online API changes affect UI mods originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit

GDC 2014: Ubisoft shows off its Divison-powering Snowdrop engine Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Video, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Dev Diaries Ubisoft Massive showed off a three-minute trailer focused on its Snowdrop game engine at this week's GDC event in San Francisco. The first title powered by the new tech is UM's MMO shooter The Division, which also features heavily in the clip's behind-the-scenes footage. "Working with the engine is kind of like solving a puzzle," explains environment artist Jill Jarlestam. "The elements are already there so it's just a matter of how you combine them together." You can watch the full video by clicking past the cut. Continue reading GDC 2014: Ubisoft shows off its Divison-powering Snowdrop engine GDC 2014: Ubisoft shows off its Divison-powering Snowdrop engine originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

Hands-on with WildStar's PvP Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play Oddly, for all that WildStar's development team has talked up combat, we've seen virtually nothing of the game's PvP beyond tantalizing promises. And beta tests, of course. Considering that the game's launch is in a couple of months, if you're pre-ordering you might want to know what you'll be getting yourself into. Which is why the team has, thankfully, produced a new DevSpeak video -- embedded past the cut -- that provides a top-level overview of the game's two most accessible PvP modes, Arenas and Battleground. Normally, these are accompanied by lengthy question-and-answer sessions, but in this case I jumped in for one purpose and one purpose only: smashing heads. As a proud member of the Dominion, I was pitted against the filthy exiles in Walatiki Temple. So let's talk about how the match played, and how a few subtle twists on a relatively simple format combined to make the whole thing a much more invigorating experience than I'd expected. Continue reading Hands-on with WildStar's PvP Hands-on with WildStar's PvP originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 announces 'April 2014 Feature Pack' Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries, Buy-to-Play ArenaNet has just announced what it's calling Guild Wars 2's first-ever update focused entirely on new features and feature enhancements, one that will "introduce a sweeping range of new systems and feature enhancements to the game." Dubbed the "April 2014 Feature Pack," the update is set to go live on April 15th, but in the interim, the studio plans to roll out multiple videos and dev blogs, starting with this first one: a dev blog discussing the overhaul of the trait system, the introduction of 40 new traits, and inbound "horizontal progression opportunities." Guild Wars 2 announces 'April 2014 Feature Pack' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Anet blog and press release, Feature pack site

The Daily Grind: Do you still expect MMOs to be 'fun'? Posted: 20 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Though the game is a bit out of our wheelhouse, Massively reader WNxArcticwolf tipped us off to a GDC talk this week about Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry, in which the developers argued that games no longer have to be fun. Admittedly, the developers are were attempting to justify confronting players with hard choices and uncomfortable situations via the plot, but the brazenness of the statement struck me over here in MMOland too. How many MMOs actually promise us fun when they're rattling off their feature lists? They'll promise grinds and raids and PvP, but as players, we process those things as achievements and challenges, as activities that were satisfying to have done, not fun to do. In fact, fun is almost seen as a dirty word, something casuals might seek. Do you actually expect MMOs to be a fun experience, or are we playing for something else entirely? 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: Do you still expect MMOs to be 'fun'? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Boatloads of classes are coming to Pathfinder Online Posted: 19 Mar 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Classes, News Items, Community Q&A, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crafting, Crowdfunding, Pathfinder Online, MMORPG The latest Pathfinder Online video dev blog has arrived, and it features Goblinworks' Lee Hammock and Stephen Cheney answering questions about which classes will enter the game in which phase. The Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, and Cleric will be first during early enrollment, followed by the more crafting-based roles like the Aristocrat, Commoner, and Expert, and then the core classes of the Barbarian, Paladin, Sorcerer, and Bard. The Ranger, Druid, and Monk are likely to emerge during open enrollment. The accompanying blog post also explains how experience and skills will map from the tabletop game to the MMORPG. We've included the complete video diary below. Continue reading Boatloads of classes are coming to Pathfinder Online Boatloads of classes are coming to Pathfinder Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Pathfinder dev blog

Make My MMO: Crowdfunding March 9 - March 15, 2014 Posted: 19 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Crowdfunding, Make My MMO This week we say goodbye to Terrayn's Kickstarter campaign, which came up short of its $300,000 goal. We say hello to MyDream, though, which has already raked in over a quarter of its $100,000 goal with more than 20 days left to go! MyDream bills itself as an open-world sandbox based on creativity and collaboration. Player-constructed adventures, environments, and structures are also in the mix. Click past the cut for more of this week's choicest MMO crowdfunding news. Continue reading Make My MMO: Crowdfunding March 9 - March 15, 2014 Make My MMO: Crowdfunding March 9 - March 15, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Order of Magic releases on popular GameXP Connect F2P platform Posted: 19 Mar 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, New Titles, PvP, Free-to-Play "Hardcore PvP gameplay and [a] Western-style fantasy setting are the basic values to define Russian online gamers' product preferences," says Nikita Online's Pavel Elchenko when referring to the company's latest MMO, Order of Magic. The Russian publisher, along with indie developer RosIgra, has created the fantasy PvP MMO to center around seven battle arenas on three large islands for players to kick the snot out of each other. Order of Magic will release on the GameXP Connect platform which already boasts 11 million unique users. "It's vital for a PvP-centered title such as the Order of Magic that the game is played by as many users as possible," adds Maxim Shiyanov, CEO of RosIgra. You can check out the game now over at its GameXP portal. [Source: Nikita Online and RosIgra press release] Order of Magic releases on popular GameXP Connect F2P platform originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade plans to launch a founder program Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Business Models, News Items, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous The Warhammer 40,000 Eternal Crusade team sent out a newsletter to fans today discussing the progress of the game since January. Behavior Interactive Creative Director David Ghozland explained that the team is busy stress-testing tech and preproducing everything from the story to the design and visuals. "We are already playing with three fully functional classes out of four," he wrote, and the first working outpost is in the game. Notably, he promises both a new website that will include a guild listing and a pre-order "founder" program set to launch during this year's E3. [With thanks to Dengar for the tip.] Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade plans to launch a founder program originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Email blast

Here's how you can play World of Tanks Blitz on your iOS device Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Casual, World of Tanks It's been nearly a year since Wargaming announced World of Tanks Blitz, its 7-on-7 mobile title inspired by World of Tanks and said to "rival anything on a console." The firm has officially announced that WoTB's closed beta will commence once it "roll[s] out the server infrastructure and accumulate[s] enough beta applications." That's where you come in, because Wargaming has also published beta application links for both Europe and North America. Here's how you can play World of Tanks Blitz on your iOS device originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Blizzard wins court case over patent troll Worlds Inc. Posted: 19 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Legal, Miscellaneous A Boston court ruled in Blizzard's favor last week against a lawsuit brought on by Worlds Inc. (aka Worlds.com) that claimed the studio infringed on four patents that Worlds Inc. made in the mid-1990s. This ruling is the latest development in a case that spans back to 2012, when Worlds Inc. filed the suit. The company claimed that Blizzard violated patents that showed the invention of "a method for enabling a first user to interact with other users in a virtual space," among other items. A U.S. District Judge ruled that these patents are invalid because those inventions already existed prior to the filings. This isn't Worlds' first attempt to sue an MMO studio over these allegations, as it went after (and lost to) NCsoft and Linden Lab several years ago. Blizzard wins court case over patent troll Worlds Inc. originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gigaom Via: WoW Insider

Choose My Adventure: MAXing out in PlanetSide 2 Posted: 19 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, MMOFPS, Choose My Adventure, PlanetSide 2 Back in PlanetSide 2 for this week's Choose My Adventure, I found myself strangely drawn into the game every chance I got. And that's really part of the beauty of PlanetSide 2: You can jump in and out of the action without any unnecessary foreplay. I continued to play my Heavy Assault for most of the week but did flirt with both the MAX and the Light Assault trooper to see what I'm missing. My verdict? I miss my Engineer. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: MAXing out in PlanetSide 2 Choose My Adventure: MAXing out in PlanetSide 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Secret World fans get a persistent ARG Posted: 19 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, The Secret World, Buy-to-Play If you've wanted to get in on the ground floor of an Alternate Reality Game tied to The Secret World, the time is now! A brand-new ARG developed by Human Equation has just entered the scene. Focusing on the Black Watchmen, this ARG differs in that it will be a persistent, complete game with features (such as a class system and NPCs) designed in partnership with Funcom. However, players will have plenty of real-world and online puzzles to work through as well. Check out the official site now to start on the first mission; the second mission unlocks tomorrow, March 20th. Then stay tuned to Chaos Theory for an upcoming interview with the creators for even more details about this new game and what they have in store for this IP. [Source: Human Equation press release] The Secret World fans get a persistent ARG originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Leaderboard: ArcheAge vs. ESO vs. WildStar... Fight! Posted: 19 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Free-to-Play, ArcheAge, Sandbox, WildStar, Leaderboard, The Elder Scrolls Online Now that Trion has confirmed a 2014 launch date for ArcheAge, my excitement level for this year's crop of triple-A MMORPGs is on the rise. I've been warming to The Elder Scrolls Online in recent weeks, and hell, I may even play WildStar. All three of these games are timesinks, though, so I'm glad that they're not releasing one on top of the other. What about you, Massively readers? Are you excited for all three of 2014's triple-A launches? Which one will you play the most? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard! Continue reading Leaderboard: ArcheAge vs. ESO vs. WildStar... Fight! Leaderboard: ArcheAge vs. ESO vs. WildStar... Fight! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Elder Scrolls Online's crafting is as easy or complex as you want it to be Posted: 19 Mar 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Dev Diaries, Crafting, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription Elder Scrolls Online's crafting was designed for all types of players in mind, ZeniMax posted in an article today. In the piece, the studio gave an overview of the system along with several helpful tips for newbie crafters. "We want you to be able to get something out of crafting even if you aren't making it your character's focus," the studio said. "And, conversely, if you want to invest a lot of time and effort, we want the rewards to be worthwhile." ZeniMax designed Provisioning for casual crafters, Enchanting and Alchemy for mid-core crafters, and Smithing for hardcore crafters. Players can choose as few or many of these to pursue as they wish, but the studio said that there will still be "interesting choices" while players are picking traits and doing the actual crafting. There are several more tips and facts in this article, including the confirmation of "secret crafting stations" hidden in the game that can bestow powerful bonuses. Elder Scrolls Online's crafting is as easy or complex as you want it to be originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Crafting in ESO

PlanetSide 2 players make thousands from Player Studio Posted: 19 Mar 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Economy, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 A new video from SOE discussing PlanetSide 2's Player Studio showcased three players who have made $4,000, $7,800, and $12,000 from the program respectively. The video lightly touches on why the players started creating items, such as decals and helmets, and tips for others to make and promote their own items through the revenue-sharing system. According to SOE, Player Studio items represented more than 10% of total in-game item sales and 35% of all cosmetic items in PlanetSide 2 during January and February. There have been 2,000 submissions for the program in less than eight months, with 469 of those accepted into the marketplace. You can watch the full video after the jump! Continue reading PlanetSide 2 players make thousands from Player Studio PlanetSide 2 players make thousands from Player Studio originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben Posted: 19 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Events (Real-World), New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Elite: Dangerous GDC 2014 in San Francisco is a great time to catch developers and ask them burning questions about their games. And that's exactly what one fan of Elite: Dangerous did, sitting down with Frontier Developments' CEO David Braben for a long chat about the upcoming MMO edition to the Elite franchise. The nearly 25-minute video interview includes information about the game, Braben's history in the gaming business, and footage of the interviewer playing the game using an Oculus Rift. Braben revealed that "the original Elite was never conceived initially, in [his] opinion, as a space game." Instead, it was all about the freedom, being an open world. How did it come to be in space then? According to Braben, that setting was ultimately chosen because "it was easier to render." Hear more of his thoughts in the video below. Continue reading GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Video interview

Final Fantasy XIV half-off on Amazon Posted: 19 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Final Fantasy XIV, Promotions, Subscription If you've been waiting for a reason to grab a copy of Final Fantasy XIV, we have 15 of them for you! Those are the dollars you'll save by purchasing the game on Amazon right now. FFXIV's standard edition for the PC is currently priced at $15.00 for the digital download (half the original list), and $24.27 for a boxed version (a savings of almost six bucks). The price on the collector's edition, however, remains unchanged. Those who nab the game now will be ready to enjoy the upcoming 2.2 patch with all its crafting, gathering, fishing, and adventuring updates. Final Fantasy XIV half-off on Amazon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Amazon

The Soapbox: Does Trion realize what it has in ArcheAge? Posted: 19 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Soapbox, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Crafting Can I share how nervous I am about the fact that ArcheAge is finally heading West? Thanks because I really need someone to talk to about this stuff. I'm going to skip over the F2P hand-wringing, both because I covered it nine months ago and because there's nothing anyone can do about it. And there's plenty of reason to fret about the rest of what's in store for starving western sandbox fans, anyway. Join me after the cut and we'll worry about it together. Continue reading The Soapbox: Does Trion realize what it has in ArcheAge? The Soapbox: Does Trion realize what it has in ArcheAge? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Mar 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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