MMO and SEO News from Gameforumer.com |
- Preview: A Game of Dwarves
- Here's a ton of Dragon Quest X footage
- Maximum complaints from Punjab: Insurance Ombudsman
- SEO NEWS: The Big Question – Is Google Gaming It?
- SEO NEWS: Do You Yahoo Anymore?
- Windows Phone Growth Spiked in July, Still Has Long Way to Go
- Microsoft's Surface Tablet to Touch Ground October 26th, Same Day as Windows 8
- GBI Research Explains How the DRAM Industry Damned Itself
- Microsoft Rolls Out New Mouse and Keyboard Products for Windows 8
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 and 550 Graphics Cards Nearing End of Life (EOL) Status
| Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT For those not familiar, A Game of Dwarves is a PC strategy game built in the same vein as Dungeon Keeper, taking more than a few pages from the classic strategy-based god games of the 1990s, with helpings of Sim City and Minecraft throughout. An interesting combination both in theory and in practice. It hasn't been very long since we first saw A Game of Dwarves, or even our first hands-on session, so be sure to catch Casey's preview for the basics. This go around, we did get a peek at the game's morale system and a quick tease of the research tech trees. A Game of Dwarves (PC [previewed], PSN) The core of Game of Dwarves revolves around the same genre tropes we've touched on before; it's all about base building and resource management. You start off with a basic dungeon, then work to expand your area with blocks, giving you more room to farm, research upgrades, etc. New to this demo, however, was Game of Dwarves' morale system. Until being attacked by the mages and having all their possessions robbed of the them, the dwarves were a happy tribe of people. As their leader, it is now left to you to help them keep their spirits up. To help you manage this is a morale system. It's fairly rudimentary, but works well enough in accomplishing its goal. Basically, there is a meter in the top middle side of the screen, letting you know where exactly you stand with the other dwarves. If it's far into the green, workers build faster, researchers upgrade your dungeon quicker, and warriors will be more effective in battle. Let it slide into the red, and your operations will start to slow down until eventually coming to a crawl. It can get worse, too, with the dwarves mounting protests and going on strike until some get fed up enough to leave entirely. If you don't want to negate hours of progress, make sure to keep all your dwarves happy. More than just a motivation to not slip up, the morale system seems to be shaping as a core mechanic, bleeding into other facets of the game, such as the tech trees. The leveling and tech tree system in Game of Dwarves is fairly standard: you research items and build equipment to accrue points, which you then invest in skills to research better items and equipment for your dungeon. The morale system enters the fray with the quality of content that your dwarves are given. At the start of the game, you can only build the basic variants of each item. Stone beds rather than feather, iron armor rather than steel, apple trees rather than beer (yes, beer). The faster you upgrade your ability to craft better items, the faster you can get them to your workforce, making them happier and allowing you to work them harder. There definitely seems to be a lot more going on in Game of Dwarves than time permitted us to see; I certainly would like to take another crack at it for a longer period of time. Those with any affinity for the strategy and god games would do well to keep an eye out for this one.  |
| Here's a ton of Dragon Quest X footage Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT
Fresh from Japan's Nintendo Direct is this video of nearly 40 solid minutes of Dragon Quest X video. Those curious about the upcoming Wii MMO (releasing in Japan on August 2nd) will find plenty to check out in this presentation as it walks you through everything -- character creation, interactions, the world and actual gameplay. Of course, it's in Japanese. But while you may not understand everything you see and hear, it's still a really nice look at the game. Hit 3:20 for character selection and creation. If you're looking for how battles work, hit the 14:25 mark and keep watching. Jump to about 34:50 for some nice cutscene action -- I can't wait until DQ games look exactly like this. Dragon Quest X : vidéo du Nintendo Direct [Gamekyo]  |
| Maximum complaints from Punjab: Insurance Ombudsman Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT The office of the Insurance Ombudsman in Chandigarh has received the maximum number of complaints against insurance companies from Punjab for the year 2011-12.  |
| SEO NEWS: The Big Question – Is Google Gaming It? Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT A big story in the SEO community concerns Google and gamification. This time, however, it isn't about webmasters trying to game the Google search engine, but Google using their search engine to game users. Google has been called out over and over for the better part of a year for serving up search results that [...]  |
| SEO NEWS: Do You Yahoo Anymore? Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT In SEO news, the changing of the guard at Yahoo continues to be a top story. It isn't just a matter of a new leader coming onboard from the outside, yet again repeating a formula that hasn't previously worked, it is a matter of how she can begin to right what is a sinking ship. [...]  |
| Windows Phone Growth Spiked in July, Still Has Long Way to Go Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT
The folks over at WMPowerUser.com culled through data from StatCounter and found that the Windows Phone install base in the European Union grew by 24 percent in July. Impressive? Sure, though that only represents a 1.68 percent share of the total mobile market in the EU. Similar growth was spotted in other parts of the world, including a 27 percent month-on-month gain in Germany, 29 percent gain in France, 18 percent jump in the U.K., and a 19 percent in the U.S. where Windows Phone claims a 1.18 percent share of the overall market. It's interesting to see the Windows Phone platform gain momentum as the Windows Phone 8 launch looms on the horizon, considering all current Windows Phone devices will not be supported by the OS update. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
 |
| Microsoft's Surface Tablet to Touch Ground October 26th, Same Day as Windows 8 Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT
"The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices," Microsoft stated on page 4 of the 95-page document. Microsoft has already gone on record saying its Surface devices will be available alongside Windows 8, but this is the first time the company has attached a specific release date (the product website still lists "coming soon"). What's still up in the air is pricing. There will be two versions of Surface, including one that runs Windows RT with ARM hardware and pricier model running Windows 8 Pro with Intel inside. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
 |
| GBI Research Explains How the DRAM Industry Damned Itself Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT Remember when high-end memory kits would set you back several hundred dollars? Those days are long gone, and for various reasons (all of which are great for consumers but stink for manufactures trying to flip a profit), they might never return. One of the reasons is that overclocking no longer carries such a heavy reliance on RAM. Memory is still important, but not like it was in the Pentium IV and AMD 64 era. But the biggest reason manufacturers are stuck in a low price rut is because they're caught in a "vicious circle of oversupply," GBI Research says. According to GBI Research, there are several factors at play. There's the global economic uncertainty of the past few years, along with more efficient applications that require less memory, both of which have led to an overabundance of DRAM and resulting price drops. "Prices have fallen so much in fact that manufacturers have been forced to sell these memory devices at below production cost, preventing profit generation," GBI Research says. "In response, manufacturers have been producing DRAM at 100 percent factory capacity in an attempt to claw back expenses, which has only exacerbated the market oversupply problem." The growing market for portable devices will offer DRAM makers some relief, but it won't be a saving grace. If they're to dig themselves out of the hole they're currently in, DRAM players will have to control supply and demand, GBI Research says. Image Credit: Tobias b köhler via Creative Commons Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
 |
| Microsoft Rolls Out New Mouse and Keyboard Products for Windows 8 Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT
There are five new products in all, including two keyboards and three mice. Starting with the keyboards, Microsoft introduced the Wedge Mobile Keyboard, which is an ultraslim plank designed specifically for Windows 8 tablet users. It has Windows hotkeys and built-in media keys, and connects via Bluetooth. Microsoft set the MSRP at $80. The other plank is the Sculpt Mobile Keyboard, which is a full-sized accessory with Microsoft's Comfort Curve design and Bluetooth connectivity. It will retail for $50. Switching gears to rodents, Microsoft introduced an ultra compact Wedge Touch Mouse ($70) for tablet users, Sculpt Touch Mouse ($50) with "smooth and easy navigation" in Windows 8, and Touch Mouse ($80) with updated gesture settings for Windows 8. All five accessories will be available soon, Microsoft says. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
 |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 and 550 Graphics Cards Nearing End of Life (EOL) Status Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT
By obsolete, we don't mean they'll suddenly stop pumping out playable framerates in whatever games you're currently playing. Instead, we're referring to Donanimhaber.com's report that Nvidia is getting ready to tag both cards with an EOL (End of Life) label. Nvidia's hardware partners have reportedly already received their final order notices as the GPU maker looks to offload existing stock and make way for its upcoming GeForce GTX 660 and 650 series. One of the first of these is rumored to be a GK104-based GeForce GTX 660 Ti slated for an August 16th launch. If you're a bargain hunter who doesn't mind investing in last generation hardware, keep your eyes peeled for price drops on GTX 550 and 560 parts. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
 |
Let's face it, Microsoft's Windows Phone platform isn't going to propel itself to the front of the pack, just like the Colorado Rockies aren't going to rally and win their division in the National League. In both cases, it's mathematically possible, but so is playing roulette and watching the ball land on 00 three times in a row. Be that as it may, Microsoft's Windows Phone platform is making personal strides, with the month of July marking its biggest growth month so far this year.
Windows users have already marked their calendars for October 26, 2012, which is the day Microsoft joins the touch-computing revolution with the launch of Windows 8. Not the least bit surprising, it's also the day Microsoft will begin selling its Surface tablet, a revelation that appears in a recent 10-K filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in lieu of an official announcement.
Microsoft is already starting to milk what it hopes is a Windows 8 cash cow before the operating system comes home to pasture. In case anyone has forgotten, Microsoft is also in the business of selling hardware accessories, something it's been doing for the past three decades, and it continues today with the 
Technology and Lindsay Lohan don't seem to have a lot in common, but like the oft troubled celebrity, technology seems to always age faster than anyone thought possible. In a sense, there's no such thing as future proofing. We bring this up because a pair of popular mid-range graphics cards from yesterday -- Nvidia' GeForce GTX 560 and 550 parts -- are on the verge of becoming obsolete tomorrow.| You are subscribed to email updates from Home To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
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 
