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June 1st, 2011, 23:23 Posted By: wraggster
Darksiders II has made its first official public appearance, via the cover of US retailer mag Game Informer, which features cover art drawn by comic book luminary Joe Madureira.
"Fans of the first Darksiders are already familiar with Vigil's fiction - the eternal war that rages between the forces of Heaven and Hell," the mag says. "With Darksiders II, Vigil looks to deliver a richer experience as players explore more dungeons, talk with a variety of NPCs, and experiment with a detailed loot system.
"The horseman War has been sidelined, so it's up to his brother, Death, to travel through the world of the Abyss and attempt to restore humanity after its destruction during the Apocalypse."
Speaking to CVG earlier this year THQ core games boss Danny Bilson suggested that Darksiders 2 will be bigger than the first.
"[Darksiders] did about twice as much as Red Faction," he said. "It's done pretty well. I believe that franchise building isn't about a zillion units out of the gate, it's about building a fan base, building a community of people that dig it, listening to them, doing what you think is good...
"The second one will be twice as big as the first one and the third one you get to big numbers. That's my strategy."
More details on the THQ sequel should arrive at E3 next week. Stay tuned.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS
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June 1st, 2011, 23:49 Posted By: wraggster
Details of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes have appeared, courtesy of a Kotaku source.
According to the tipster, multiplayer will be split between traditional maps and co-op Spec Ops maps. As reported last week, the latter will include both a survival mode and mission-based stages.
It's thought that around 20 maps are currently being worked on, though it's not clear how many will come with the game and how many will be offered post-launch as DLC.
As with Modern Warfare 2, there are no plans to bring over Treyarch's zombie modes.
Perks and killstreaks are back, with a number of tweaks. First up, you'll be able to earn team perks. No word on exactly how this will work but it would seem to tie in nicely with the new Elite social platform announced earlier this week.
Details of four team perks were handed over by the source:
Stopping Power: Increased bullet damage
Blast Shield: Unclear
Health Regen: Regenerate health over time
Stun Protection: Prevent stunning from flash grenades
In addition to those, there'll be a number of new standard perks, reportedly including the following:
Blind Eye: This makes you immune to computer-controlled and player-controlled killstreaks. The pro version makes your launchers lock on faster and gives you extra bullet damage to vehicles.
Assassin: This makes you immune to UAV, thermal, and heartbeat sensors. The pro version also makes you immune to CUAV, EMP and no longer shows your name in red or the crosshair in red when you're targeted.
Point Guard: Every two assists count as a kill towards your killstreak.
Dead Silence: You make no noise.
Recon: Gives you a special kind of radar to spot enemies, most likely. We're not sure on this one.
As for killstreaks, the controversial Tactical Nuke has apparently been ditched. In its place are a number of new additions, including:
EMP Grenade: Temporarily takes out all area electronics
Littlebird: A tiny remote-controlled helicopter
Precision Airstrike: Calls in an airstrike on a targeted area
Stealth bomber: Calls in a B2 Spirit to carpet bomb along a line designated by the player
Remote Turret: A remote controlled turret
Directional UAV: A UAV that can be directed into areas to scan for enemies
Remote Mortar: Direct a mortar team using a zoomable camera view of the map to call in strikes
Airdrop Trap: A booby-trapped airdrop
Ammo Resupply: An ammo reloading airdrop
Escort Airdrop: A protected airdrop
Specialist Strike Package: This one remains a mystery to us
Finally, the insider claims that, as with MW2 and Black Ops, there are no plans to support dedicated servers.
The latest entry in the juggernaut FPS franchise launches on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 8th November. Take a look at our recent first impressions piece for more.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...r-details-leak
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June 2nd, 2011, 00:08 Posted By: wraggster
[Update: Infinity Ward's @fourzerotwo took to Twitter to say, "Lots of false #MW3 info being reported as fact. There is no Stopping Power, OMA, Commando, or Nukes. Beyond that, you'll have to wait & see." The below rumor does say no Nukes, never mentions One Man Army or Commando, and the Stopping Power they do mention is specifically a new "Team Perk" variant.]
Kotaku's Modern Warfare 3-leaking mole is back, dropping deets on the game's multiplayer offerings. Before we get into the meat of things, it's worth pointing out that, according to this report, a Zombies mode will not make an appearance in MW3; the Treyarch-developed mode has so far only appeared in its own Call of Duty offerings and that trend will continue.
More importantly for the game's dedicated multiplayer ... err, players, comes the first rumors of the game's killstreaks and perks, both of which are reported to be getting tweaked by co-devs Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games. Most MW2 players will be happy to learn that the Tactical Nuke killstreak that rewarded 25 consecutive kills with oblivion (and the end of the match) has been nuked. New killstreaks include a remote-controlled helicopter, a remote turret, an EMP grenade, and more.
The most notable scuttlebutt is the addition of "Team Perks," which are – as you no doubt have already deduced – perks that your entire team works to unlock. It's unclear what defines a "team" but we imagine this is something that Elite will help coordinate. Rumored team perks include Stopping Power, which dishes out increased bullet damage; Stun Protection, which prevents your team from being stunned by flash grenades; Health Regen, which regenerates your team's health over time; and Blast Shield, which isn't clear.
New non-team perks for MW3 include Blind Eye, which makes you "immune to computer-controlled and player-controlled killstreaks"; Assassin makes you "immune to UAV, thermal, and heartbeat sensors"; Point Guard, which counts every two assists as a kill, helping less lethal players still earn killstreaks; Dead Silence, which makes you dead silent (duh); and Recon, which is still unclear.
Lastly, if you're hoping for dedicated servers, you may want to sit down: looks like they're still out, as they were in MW2. Last year's Black Ops did support dedicated servers, albeit in a limited capacity, so it's not clear if MW3 is rolling back to Infinity Ward's previous offering, or adopting something closer to what Treyarch used.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/01/ru...tactical-nuke/
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June 2nd, 2011, 01:59 Posted By: wraggster
We're live from Microsoft Windows president Steven Sinofsky's keynote at D9, and there's something rather exciting on stage -- a pair of experimental Windows 8 dev boards running an OS that looks very much like Windows Phone 7's Metro UI. All Things D sat down with the man earlier today and got a sneak peek at what to expect starting with the live tiled screen you see above -- and yes, like Windows Phone 7, this OS is designed for touch.
There'll be two kinds of applications for Windows 8, one that runs in a traditional desktop, and the other pseudo-mobile apps based on HTML5 and Javascript, but both environments -- rather, the entire OS -- have been designed from the ground up for touchscreen use. Keyboard and mouse will still be options for both sets of programs, but there are multiple virtual sets of keys for different form factors, including a split keyboard for vertical slate use. Multitasking is simply a matter of swiping running apps into the center of the screen, and you can pull windows partway to "snap" them in place alongside other windows -- even mixing and matching traditional desktop programs with web apps simultaneously (like Twitter alongside your spreadsheet). There's a new version of Internet Explorer 10 (which runs Silverlight) and an app store built into the touchscreen interface. Microsoft says the new OS will run on laptops, tablets and desktops when it appears -- whenever that might be.
All Things D didn't have any details on when we'll get pricing or availability, but we're looking at some Intel Atom-based demo units on stage right now, and Microsoft says it will have ARM designs (the OS will support NVIDIA, TI and Qualcomm) viewable on the Computex show floor, and more will be revealed at a developer conference in September. We should note that "Windows 8" is just a codename for what we're seeing here -- "we'll figure out the real name in due time," Sinofsky told the crowd -- but we don't see much harm in calling it Windows 8 for now.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/01/m...et-prototypes/
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June 3rd, 2011, 00:37 Posted By: wraggster
Activision has teamed up with Steam to let all-comers try out Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer free of charge this weekend.
Starting from 6.00pm (UK time) this evening, you'll be able to access all of the game's multiplayer modes by pre-loading the game from Steam.
Can't say fairer than that. Take a look at the multiplayer trailer below for more on what to expect.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ee-all-weekend
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June 3rd, 2011, 00:38 Posted By: wraggster
A closed beta for Might & Magic Heroes VI goes live on 28th June, publisher Ubisoft has announced.
There'll be three solo maps and one multiplayer map available, with the latter allowing you play with up two friends.
To gain early access to the beta you'll need to pre-order the Black Hole-developed strategy RPG – due out in September – via UbiShop.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-vi-beta-dated
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June 4th, 2011, 00:00 Posted By: wraggster
With just a week to go until the release of the PC games industry's longest running joke, Duke Nukem Forever, developers Gearbox have released an official video trailer.
Previously Gearbox announced "one more delay" in March in a cheeky video, shifting the release of the game from May to June. Small beans given the the 14 year wait PC gamers have endured for the return of the macho cigar-chewing Duke.
Gamers registering pre-ordered copies before the game's release date next week, thereby becoming part of what Gearbox calls the Duke Nukem First Access Club,now have early access to a Duke Nukem Forever demo.
Gearbox also announced that Duke Nukem Forever First Access Club members "will be given a code that will allow them to download a To-Be-Announced Premium Game Add-On pack for free once the content is available."
Essentially Gearbox is giving pre-orders of Duke Nukem Forever the first DLC for free when it becomes available while others will have to pay around $10 for it. Duke Nukem Forever is out on the 10th of June in Europe and 14th of June in the US.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/36432...ailer-released
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June 4th, 2011, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster
"Internet Explorer's market share continues to drop like a rock. Net Applications published its numbers for May, and Internet Explorer's total share declined yet again, from 55.11 percent in April to 54.27 percent in May, a drop of [0.84 percent] in one month. Contrast that with Google's Chrome, which rose from 11.94 percent in April to 12.52 percent in May, an increase of [0.58 percent]. In the past year, IE's share of browser usage has dipped from 60.32 percent to 54.27 percent. How long before IE usage drops below 50%?'"
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/06...Slips-Below-55
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June 4th, 2011, 00:21 Posted By: wraggster
Google announced on its blog that it is dropping support for Firefox 3.5, Internet Explorer 7 and Safari 3 from the 1st of August. In these older browsers you may have trouble using certain features in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Docs and Google Sites, and eventually these apps may stop working entirely.
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/06...Older-Browsers
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June 4th, 2011, 00:26 Posted By: wraggster
OnLive has unveiled a host of new plans to push its cloud gaming service into more mainstream markets, including integrating its technology into Intel hardware, direct launching of games from Facebook and the release of a wireless universal controller for multiple platforms.
In the social space, from June 7, users will be able to launch games directly from Facebook, post Brag Clips of their performance, allow friends to spectate in high definition and leave comments on on pages.
"The OnLive Facebook integration is a watershed event for the videogame industry," said Steve Perlman, CEO of OnLive.
"No one questions the massive appeal of social gaming, but before OnLive there was no frictionless way to integrate AAA core games into the global social network fabric. OnLive's Facebook integration not only achieves this, but OnLive's spectating, voice chat and Brag Clip videos add a media-rich social dimension unlike anything that as existed before."
No one questions the massive appeal of social gaming, but before OnLive there was no frictionless way to integrate AAA core games into the global social network
Steve Perlman, OnLive
OnLive is pushing the idea of high-end gaming anywhere, with Facebook and OnLive experiences supported on PC, Mac, tablets, TVs, and in the future smartphones, IPTV and set top boxes, blu-ray and other media players.
The company is also updating its SDK for content creators to incorporate social features such as cross-device spectating and voice chat at the development stage.
The streaming games service - which now boasts over 100 titles in its portfolio - is also teaming with Intel to offer access to high end games on any Intel hardware with the Atom Processor CE4100, including Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes, doing away with the need for the current MicroConsole TV adaptor.
Accompanying that announcement is the unveiling of a universal wireless controller, allowing users to play with one peripheral across multiple devices, and to better take advantage of games designed for a home console.
With the service already well underway in North America, OnLive has also confirmed an autumn roll-out of the games platform for the UK with other European regions to follow.
OnLive is also adding Disney Interactive titles to its line-up, including two games from defunct studio Black Rock, Pure and Split/Second.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-hardware-deal
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June 4th, 2011, 00:43 Posted By: wraggster
The sequel to 2010 downloadable FPS Blacklight: Tango Down has just got itself a name - Blacklight Retribution - and a publisher.
First revealed earlier this year, the Zombie Studios-developed game is being re-modeled as a free-to-play PC shooter, built on Unreal Engine 3 with DirectX 11 support.
As shown in the trailer below, the game is taking a more futuristic approach than its predecessor, with rocket-powered mechs joining the fray.
Torchlight backer Perfect World have signed on to publish, taking over from Ignition. No release date has been pinned down yet.
"We've wanted to develop a high quality and yet free-to-play first person shooter for years, which is why we're excited to be teaming up with Perfect World, an online-game developer and operator with more than eight years of experience in the free-to-play space," said Zombie CEO Mark Long.
"We know how to make thrilling first person shooters and Perfect World have vast experience in publishing various games in different markets. With this alliance of expertise, PC gamers can look forward to a high quality first person shooter that is available for everyone to play."
The ambitious original promised much but failed to deliver when it arrived on PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade last year.
"The world simply doesn't need another passable multiplayer shooter whose only selling point is how little it costs compared to 'real' games," wrote Eurogamer Dan Whitehead in his 5/10 review.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...tion-announced
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June 4th, 2011, 00:59 Posted By: wraggster
BioWare descends on the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 7th, but its exact plans regarding the Star Wars: The Old Republic show were held close to the chest -- until now. Thanks to the community team in Austin, we now have a good glimpse at what will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
An ancient threat grows restless on the planet of Belsavis; the entire galaxy is at stake; and both the Republic and the Empire will suffer. A group of heroes is deployed to Belsavis to counter this terrible evil in the next revealing trailer for SWTOR called Eternity Vault.
Visitors to E3 will witness two in-game plotlines. First, a showdown of patriots and a usurper who has laid claim to the throne ignites the planet of Alderaan. Second, players take on sand people on one of the most iconic planets in the Star Wars universe: Tatooine.
Also, The Old Republic birthed a new tie-in comic book. Alexander Freed, a lead writer at BioWare Austin, penned this latest tale titled the Lost Suns. The comic book features a spy named Theron Shan, who is combing the galaxy for clues to what the Empire has been doing since the Treaty of Coruscant. Freed expounds on some of the hidden secret on the official site.
Lastly, more detail has been revealed about the Advanced Classes on the official site, including specific powers for each tree. For a complete breakdown of revealed powers watch the Hyperspace Beacon on Tuesday.
For the rest of the gory details be sure to visit the official SWTOR website and don't miss our live coverage from E3 all next week.
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06...and-a-new-tie/
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June 4th, 2011, 03:11 Posted By: wraggster
News via http://www.scummvm.org/news/20110602/
These are amongst the last words of Timothy, one of your friends; But when the Dark Army is on the march, there is no time for mourning the dead. Time is essential in the race against the evil sorceress Scotia, so you had better continue your journey to save the realm of Gladstone.
The ScummVM Team is pleased to announce support for Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos. So grab your copy of the DOS Floppy, DOS CD or even the PC-98 version and start playing Lands of Lore in ScummVM and help us with the testing, while enjoying this great game. A quick side note: Unlike other ScummVM supported adventure games, Lands of Lore is an RPG (Role Playing Game). We are supporting it as it uses the same engine (KYRA) as The Legend of Kyrandia series. Please do not ask us to support other RPGs!
Of course, all bugs should be reported to our bug tracker. However, please make sure you have got all the required datafiles before you report a bug. For further information, check out the bug submission guidelines.
Happy dungeon crawling!
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June 4th, 2011, 21:29 Posted By: wraggster
Gearbox Software released the demo for Duke Nukem Forever today, though it's only available to preorders and other promotions for the time being. After more than a decade, it looks like this game will actually hit stores this month. After 12 years in development, will it live up to the hype?"
Included with the linked article is DNF's launch trailer. This should go without saying, but just in case: NSFW. Seriously.
http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/0...-Demo-Released
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June 5th, 2011, 22:52 Posted By: wraggster
StrongGlad writes with a story at ZDNet describing how it's getting easier to use GPU processing against passwords once considered quite strong.
"Take a cheap GPU (like the Radeon HD 5770) and the free GPU-powered password busting tool called 'ighashgpu' and you have yourself a lean, mean password busting machine. How lean and mean? Working against NTLM login passwords, a password of 'fjR8n' can be broken on the CPU in 24 seconds, at a rate of 9.8 million password guesses per second. On the GPU, it takes less than a second at a rate of 3.3 billion passwords per second. Increase the password to 6 characters (pYDbL6), and the CPU takes 1 hour 30 minutes versus only four seconds on the GPU. Go further to 7 characters (fh0GH5h), and the CPU would grind along for 4 days, versus a frankly worrying 17 minutes 30 seconds for the GPU."
http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/06/0...swords-Useless
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June 6th, 2011, 17:06 Posted By: wraggster
Mind Candy has announced that its social networking title for children, Moshi Monsters, now boasts over 50m users worldwide.
The ubiquitous Moshi Monsters brand has grown rapidly over the course of its three-year life span, and Mind Candy has said that it expects to generate £60m from total gross Moshi Monsters related retail in 2011.
The company also says that over half of all children aged 6-12 in the UK own a Moshi Monster online, with similar figures in Australia and New Zealand and 15m registered users also playing in the USA.
“We’re thrilled to see Moshi Monsters experience such rapid growth across the globe†said Mind Candy founder and CEO Michael Acton Smith.
“We’ve hit 50 million users and have even more ambitious plans ahead. Our vision is to build the largest entertainment brand in the world for this new digital generation of kids.â€
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...hits-50m-users
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June 6th, 2011, 19:25 Posted By: wraggster
The first DLC for Operation Flashpoint: Red River has been confirmed by Codemasters.
Valley of Death is coming at the "end of June", and will be available for for 560 Microsoft Points on Xbox and Windows and £4.79 on PSN.
The pack brings eight new Fireteam Engagements playable in single-player and four-player online co-op, two Combat Sweep missions, two CSAR missions, two Last Stand missions and two Rolling Thunder missions.
Some of these will take place in new locations, including a former Soviet manufacturing town and "a riverside mudbrick village set beneath foreboding hilltop ruins".
Stay tuned for a solid release date. In the meantime, here's some images of what to expect.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-dlc-announced
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June 6th, 2011, 19:31 Posted By: wraggster
The Tomb Raider reboot launches in Autumn 2012, developer Crystal Dynamics has announced.
A new trailer for the game shown during Microsoft's E3 conference offered a first glimpse of what to expect from the game.
The sequence shown saw Lara trying to escape from a network of underground tunnels while being pursued by a feral local.
There were a few environmental puzzles to solve, some brief-but-brutal combat and some hammy voice acting.
After successfully crushing her pursuer beneath a giant boulder, she emerges into the open to the sight of ruined planes and ships.
We'll post the clip as soon as Crystal Dynamics makes it available.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ch-autumn-2012
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June 6th, 2011, 19:53 Posted By: wraggster
[Michael Chen] found himself in possession of a thoroughly broken laptop. The hinges connecting the screen to the body of the computer were shot, and the battery was non-functional. After a bit of thinking he decided that it wouldn’t take much to resurrect the hardware by turning it into a desktop machine.
At the core of this hack is the hardware that you must keep for the computer to function. That is, the LCD screen, the motherboard, hard drive, and the AC/DC brick that powers it. [Michael] ditched everything else; the case, keyboard, trackpad, webcam, etc. Next he started building his own enclsure out of acrylic. First he sandwiched the LCD screen between a full sheet of acrylic and a bezel that was one inch wide on each side. Next, another full sheet was used to mount the motherboard and hard drive. You can see how the three sheets are connected by nuts and bolts in the image above. It looks like the only other alteration he made was to relocate the power button to a more convenient spot.
Once a USB keyboard and mouse are added he’s back up and running. We’ve got our eye on an old XP laptop that might end up seeing this conversion to become a dedicated shop computer. We just need to build in some more dust protection.
http://hackaday.com/2011/06/06/conve...sktop-machine/
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June 7th, 2011, 00:17 Posted By: wraggster
EA has announced The Sims Social, a new version of the popular franchise for Facebook.
The game runs in a browser in classic isometric 2D with a hand-drawn look. The hook appears to be that you will play as yourself and act out scenarios with Sims based on your real-life friends.
"Play with enemies, family, co-workers... Play with friends. Play with life," ran the tagline.
The trailer showed female friends discussing a romance on Facebook that one of them was having with a real-life crush in the game.
The Sims Social is "coming soon".
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ng-to-facebook
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June 7th, 2011, 00:22 Posted By: wraggster
Far Cry 3 has been announced, with Ubisoft's open world shooter returning to the dense jungles in a new game being developed by Ubisoft Montreal.
In the game you play a character who finds themselves abandoned on a mysterious island, with their girlfriend missing.
A demo at Ubisoft's E3 press conference showed a more physical, brutal take, with violent melee attacks complementing the open ended gunplay.
Knife throwing and a sticky cover system also featured in the demo, which retained the Heart of Darkness influence that Far Cry 2 introduced.
There was no word on release platforms or date.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ounced-article
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June 7th, 2011, 14:52 Posted By: wraggster
New Facebook game and mobile app due this summer; Over 140m Sims games sold to date
One of the PC’s biggest boxed gaming franchises of all time – The Sims – is now heading to Facebook.
EA’s colossal life simulation franchise will launch on the social network this summer in the form of The Sims Social. Players will be able to create their own sim, build a house, fill it with objects and play with their friends on Facebook.
This will be accompanied by a mobile phone app which lets users look after their sims on the move.
The game has been produced by EA-owned developer Playfish.
“Just like you and me, The Sims is now on Facebook,†said EA’s executive VP of its Play label Jeff Karp.
“Over the last decade, The Sims has sold in excess of 140m units and spawned an active fan community that has grown into the millions.
“These fans are all enthusiastic, passionate individuals living out their dreams, adventures and fantasies. As The Sims moves to Facebook, their personalities shine through more than ever.â€
John Earner, GM of Playfish’s London Studio, added: “The Sims was born to be social and we can now deliver on that.
"This game will set a new standard for quality and fun on the Facebook platform, and with the mobile companion app sitting alongside, The Sims fans will be able to enjoy playing with life anytime, anywhere.â€
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44707/EA-The-Sims-goes-Social
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June 7th, 2011, 14:54 Posted By: wraggster
Enthusiast brand returns for monster 8-core Bulldozer
Chipmaker AMD reintroduced the firm's FX-brand of high end PC processors at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
The AMD FX brand harks from an era when the firm's processors were well regarded among gamers at a time when the firm's processors competed rather better with Intel than they have in recent times.
The brand was last seen in 2006, attached to the last of the dual-core processors for AMD's Socket 939 platform, the AMD Athlon 64 FX-60. The multiplier unlocked enthusiast processor came in at a bank-breaking $1031.
The FX brand has been on hiatus during the intervening years which has seen the Intel competitor struggle to table a high-end enthusiast CPU that would seriously challenge Intel.
Choosing the E3 show as a launch platform, AMD is hoping to recapture some of the past glories by reviving the FX brand as it releases the new Bulldozer achitecture processors which the firm claims is competitive with the best Intel has to offer.
The first of the chips to arrive will be the AMD Bulldozer architecture "Zambezi" chip including an 8-core 'AMD Vision Black FX' and the 'Vision Ultimate FX'.
"AMD's FX brand will enable an over-the-top experience for PC enthusiasts," said AMD marketing chief Leslie 'I write my own blogs honest' Sobon.
In May leaked details of the top-of-the-range FX-8150P Black Edition appeared on the Chinese-language ZOL forums, suggesting an astonishing 4.2GHz clockspeed with Turbo Boost up to 4.7GHz.
If those details are correct, the clock speed is much higher than any other processor yet available and combined with a CPU with 8 cores, 8MB of L3 Cache and with a price somewhere between $350 and $400, AMD may well have a gaming processor worthy of the FX moniker.
AMD also announced the Scorpius platform which consists of the multiplier-unlocked FX-series processors on a 900-series chipset motherboard with Radeon HD 6000 series graphics cards. Such a configuration is likely to prove popular among high-end boutique system builders.
In addition to the new hardware announcements, AMD unveiling additional game publisher support for the firm's "Gaming Evolved" campaign, announcing that the keenly anticipated Deux Ex: Human Revolution will ship with native HD3D support.
The AMD FX processors are due to arrive in the third quarter.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/36448...FX-brand-at-E3
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June 7th, 2011, 18:18 Posted By: wraggster
Rise of Isengard will be the third full expansion for Turbine MMO The Lord of the Rings Online.
The expansion arrives on 27th September.
Rise of Isengard takes you to the home of wizard Saruman, who betrays the goodies and joins Sauron. You'll go inside Saruman's iconic Orthanc tower. But the press release doesn't mention a battle with Saruman himself.
Two other new regions - the Gap of Rohan and Dunland - will also be added. Each will be stuffed with quests.
Rise of Isengard pushes the character level-cap to 75 (from 65), which means lots of powerful new skills and deeds to customise heroes with.
There's a new 24-man raid to conquer, too. This culminates a boss battle with Dragioch, "one of the most powerful creatures of Middle-Earth".
Rise of Isengard can be pre-ordered today, and there are varying benefits for doing so.
Grab the Base Edition and you'll be gifted a Steed of the Gap horse with matching red cloak for all your account's characters. You'll get a Guard of the Isen title, plus 25 per cent XP boost for all characters up to level 65 that you own.
Pre-order the Heroic Edition and you'll get all that plus armour with your Steed of the Gap and a choice of colours: red, green or white. You'll get an extra 1000 Turbine Points to spend, too.
Opt for the Legendary Edition to get all that plus all three Steeds of the Gap for all your characters, and access to Path of the Fellowship quest packs Trollshaws, Eregion, Moria, Lothlorien and Mirkwood.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...expansion-date
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June 8th, 2011, 22:40 Posted By: wraggster
Cloud gaming firm OnLive is to bring its streaming service to tablet devices before the end of 2011.
OnLive has been demonstrating an iPad version of its software for some time, and now plans to release the OnLive Player App this Autumn, for both the US and Europe.
Both iPad and Android tablets will be supported, with games operated via touch controls or a new Universal Wireless Controller. If the tablet supports it, games can also be outputted to an HDTV or monitor.
OnLive have floated the possibility of the tablet and the connected TV displaying different interactive content simultaneously, thus theoretically aping some of the capabilities of the new Wii U.
"The power of the cloud is definitely the theme this week, displacing what had been assumed to be platforms that could never be displaced," said Steve Perlman, CEO of OnLive.
"The OnLive Player App for iPad and Android shows how with the power of the cloud, the question is not whether cloud gaming will be able to catch up to consoles, it will be whether consoles will be able to catch up to cloud gaming."
On iPad, OnLive will also enable Flash support of a sort, via a cloud-based browser.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ient-this-year
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June 8th, 2011, 22:52 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft isn't exactly known for its hardware prowess. Sure, it's churned out plenty of nice mice, keyboards, and game controllers over the years, but success with actual devices has been mixed. The Xbox 360 has exceeded all expectations, while the Zune and Kin hardware have been monumental failures. According to industry sources in Taiwan, however, Microsoft is working on a Windows 8 tablet that will be powered by Texas Instrument's next-generation 1.8GHz dual core processor.
http://slashdot.org/story/11/06/08/1...ndows-8-Tablet
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June 8th, 2011, 23:20 Posted By: wraggster
The latest version of a Chrome browser may not be quite the event it once was since Google switched to a six-week release schedule, but the company seems to be plenty pleased with the just-released Chrome 12 nonetheless, which it's dubbed "safer and snazzier." That's because the browser now boasts a number of new measures to prevent malware and phishing attempts (and give you more control over data stored on your computer), as well as support for hardware accelerated 3D CSS, which will let you try out things like Aardman Studio's "Shaun the Sheep" HTML5 experiment pictured above (and linked below). And if you're reading this in Chrome, chances are your browser has already updated itself.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/g...2-web-browser/
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June 8th, 2011, 23:21 Posted By: wraggster
A long time ago, in a boardroom far, far away... a designer (flanked by marketing execs) pitched an idea for a set of Star Wars: The Old Republic branded peripherals, and the CEO of Razer told his troopers to "make it so." Or, at least that's how we imagine it happened. In addition to mixing up his sci-fi references, whoever approved this gaming keyboard, mouse, and headset also abandoned any notion of subtlety. All three are slathered in interchangeable Sith or Jedi insignias, bright LEDs, and a texture not unlike the exterior of a Star Destroyer. The most ostentatious is easily the keyboard, which sports both a multitouch screen and two rows of adaptive buttons over an LCD (Ã* la the Switchblade handheld). The keyboard will run you $200, while the mouse or headset will cost $130 when they launch alongside The Old Republic later this year. Check out the gallery below and the PR after the break.
Update: We just got our first glimpse of the new peripherals, and it sounds like Razer actually put some thought into the keyboard and headphones here -- while the mouse is just a jagged, Imperial-flavored wireless Naga MMO rodent, the headsets look fairly sweet, and Razer tells us their garish LED lighting apparently syncs with The Old Republic to throw signals on your shoulders to warn you of approaching enemies. Razer also has grand plans for that LCD-equipped keyboard, telling us those adaptive keys will automatically switch function based on signals from the game itself, and that multitouch LCD trackpad can display a variety of things and be used to program macros. Last but not least, you'll get some serious geek cred when you switch the keyboard's backlight off, because the only thing physically printed on each key are the letters of Star Wars' Aurebesh alphabet.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/s...l-peripherals/
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June 10th, 2011, 01:16 Posted By: wraggster
"Microsoft isn't the only company denying equal online footing to Windows XP users. Apple will not give PC users access to iCloud – its great digital locker in the sky – if their machines are running Microsoft's aging but still popular Windows XP. Tucked at the bottom of the iCloud announcement, Apple says you'll need a PC running Windows Vista or Windows 7 to jump into Steve Jobs' version of the interwebs."
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/0...s-Ditch-the-XP
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June 10th, 2011, 01:18 Posted By: wraggster
Cloud gaming service OnLive will add a total addressable market of 75 million consumers by the end of the year through hardware deals, according to CEO Steve Perlman.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at E3 this week, the executive confirmed that partnerships with TV manufacturers - like the Intel deal inked last week - will see the OnLive gaming system stealthily added to Blu-ray and TV hardware.
"We expect, and given estimates from the manufacturers, about 25 million internet TVs and about 50 million Blu-ray players," said Perlman.
"Really every hardware manufacturer wants OnLive built in because it adds value, and the minute one of them has it they all feel that it's a potential reason not to buy a TV if they don't have it. And it adds no cost to their TV."
"There's a lot of TVs being built now with Intel silicon in them - every Google TV has Intel silicon built in," he added.
Although not discussing specific partners, he did say that deals with manufacturers for Europe and other regions were already in place, and he hopes when OnLive officially launches in the UK this autumn it will be available in TVs, as well as through the MicroConsole and other formats.
"Our expectation is that we'll launch in the UK and you'll be able to get the TV with OnLive built into it. Combine that with iPads and Android tablets, PC, Macs and the OnLive Game System, it becomes a pretty large total addressable market."
OnLive thinks more like a media business than games company, said Perlman, where it can bring triple-A PC games to a wider market of portable and home screens.
"If we were a TV network they would talk about 'TAM' - total addressable market. Because anything can carry a TV network - satellite TV, cable TV, broadcast TV or you can send it over the internet.
"But with video games when you talk about total addressable market, what you're always talking about is how many Xbox 360's or how many PlayStation 3's are out there. OnLive is different, it's much more similar to a television channel or Netflix or LoveFilm.
"People will begin to think of video games not as a type of software tied to a particular platform, but begin to think of video games as a type of media, in the same way they think about television, music or movies," he added.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-by-75-million
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June 10th, 2011, 01:19 Posted By: wraggster
2012 will see game streaming service Gaikai reach internet-enabled televisions, the firm's founder has claimed.
Ex-Shiny man David Perry told Gamasutra that "I will promise you this: you will see Gaikai on digital televisions in 2012, and it will not require any big [partnerships]. I would expect it to be on lots of televisions."
No additional hardware would be required, he claimed: "We're able to stream our [technology] into the TV without putting in any chip.We can put the Gaikai app on the Vizio TV without modification of the Vizio TV."
Gaikai is increasingly in competition with OnLive for the cloud gaming throne, although the company's focus remains licensing its technology to third parties such as publishers and websites, rather than selling product directly.
OnLive, meanwhile, yesterday claimed to GamesIndustry.biz that it expected to reach an audience of 75 million as a result of being supported by new upcoming TVs and Blu-Ray player, in addition to a newly-announced tablet version of its streaming software.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ing-online-tvs
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June 10th, 2011, 11:39 Posted By: wraggster
"We mean you no harm" say hackers
Sony hackers LulzSec informed the NHS that the group had obtained a number of administrative passwords.
"We mean you no harm and only want to help you fix your tech issues," Lulz Security emailed the NHS.
In a reference to the coverage of the 15-year-old terminal cancer sufferer Alice's 'bucket list', LulzSec concluded: "We hope that little girls feasts on the bonres of many giving souls."
The Department of Health told the BBC that only a 'very small number of website administrators' were involved and that no patient information was exposed by the breach.
New York based bank Citigroup also reported a seperate data breach in which hackers had accessed credit card account numbers and contact details of 200,000 North American customers.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/36467...prove-security
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June 13th, 2011, 17:06 Posted By: wraggster
Nvidia commissioned a Duke Nukem-themed custom PC to coincide with the release of Duke Nukem Forever.
Richard Surroz, aka DarthBeavis, took several months to build the 'Hail to the King' project from the ground up. Built out of three 'pods', the system features top-of-the-line Nvidia hardware and Asus 3D monitors.
Three radiators are connected in an innovative acrylic manifold system which effectively turns the pods into radiators. Oh and it's got a minigun.
The impressive custom PC was unveiled at the Duke Nukem Forever release party. Sadly on the basis of subsequent reviews of the 14-year delayed Duke Nukem sequel, it seems entirely likely that more effort went into building this PC than the making the game.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/36484...-Duke-Nukem-PC
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June 13th, 2011, 20:48 Posted By: wraggster
Sales of indie phenomenon soar ahead of Xperia Play and Kinect release
More than 2.5 million PC users have picked up a copy of Minecraft to date.
The sales achievement was revealed by the game’s creator Markus Persson via Twitter, where he said: “2.5 million sales! That’s as much as Diablo 1 and Far Cry, according to Wikipedia.â€
The news comes just days after Microsoft announced a Kinect-compatible version would be coming to Xbox 360 by the end of the year.
Minecraft is also due for release on mobile devices such as iOS and Android, after a period of exclusivity on Sony’s Xperia Play.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44860/Mine...sses-25m-sales
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June 13th, 2011, 23:23 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo believes Wii U will change the way we play games, but according to OnLive boss Steve Perlman, everything it does UK gamers will be able to experience this autumn.
OnLive is the cloud-based gaming system that allows users to play high-end games through the internet as opposed to a home console.
The tech, which makes its UK debut this autumn, works through touchscreen devices such as smartphones and tablets – and it's this fact that leads Perlman to cast doubt on the Wii U.
"Nintendo announced a really cool thing, but, well, I can hold up an Android screen or an iPad screen and we can do exactly what they're doing," he told Eurogamer.
"In fact, if all you want is touch, I can do it with a smartphone as well, but I'm not tethered to my Wii. I can take this away and use it in a room by itself.
"Everything they demoed at their announcement is going to be available in the UK this autumn.
"Then again, people are going to want Mario and Pokemon. So those aren't going to go away. There's going to be an evolution to it."
Some commentators believe cloud gaming services such as OnLive and Gaikai mark the end of home console gaming.
Perlman believes consoles are under threat, but their extinction will be a drawn out process.
"PC gaming is always going to be there," Perlman said. "I hope it's always there. In fact, these are the guys who are pioneering the future.
"But console gaming, look, we're six years into what is usually a five year console cycle.
"Much as what has happened with the video and music world, mainstream people just want to play the games. They don't want to deal with downloads, with obsolete hardware. They don't want to deal with discs."
Game publishers, too, are leaning towards cloud-gaming, Perlman said.
"The reality is the publishers are just getting killed with used games and piracy. The publishers do lower the price when demand decreases. But the problem when the game stores do it is no money feeds back into the development of the games.
"With piracy, the people who do pay for the games are paying for the versions of the games that are pirated.
"Publishers can lower the price of all the games and benefit for the long tail if we control that. Cloud gaming enables that.
"Let's put it this way, it takes a long, long time for an established platform to finally go. For example, Xbox Live is a good example of stickiness. People have got their ranking, achievements and friends. That's going to be something people go back to.
"In that sense, we may see a co-existence."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ing-wii-u-does
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June 16th, 2011, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster
Electronic Arts has confirmed that it will release more titles digitally exclusive to its Origin service, as well as offer unique content for games sold via Origin to distinguish them from releases on competing services.
However, the aggressive move isn't a sign EA is ready to ditch its other digital partners such as Direct2Drive and Impulse, as it still intends to reach the widest audience possible through other retailers.
"We are going to continue to be great partners for our retail channel partners as they evolve their business models to account for digital," Frank Gibeau, president of EA Games, told GamesIndustry.biz.
"But at the same time you talk about platform exclusives like Halo or Uncharted, EA's going to have some of our own platform exclusives."
At the same time you talk about platform exclusives like Halo or Uncharted, EA's going to have some of our own platform exclusives
Frank Gibeau, EA Games
The publisher has already confirmed forthcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will only be available digitally from Origin, with Gibeau admitting it's using the Bioware title to attract new consumers to the rebooted service.
"In the case of Star Wars we're trying to build an audience for Origin. And it's also an opportunity for us to better manage the downloads and how we bring people over from the beta and that sort of thing. For a lot of reasons it made sense for an MMO, which is a highly complex deployment.
"I think long-term you'll see we believe in reach so we will have other digital retailers for out products because we want to reach as many audiences as possible.
"But at the same time if we can use exclusive content or other ideas to help grow our audience then we're going to do that because we're growing a platform," added Gibeau.
The recently released Crysis 2 has been removed from Valve's Steam service, and other PC versions of titles including Alice: Madness Returns are being positioned as "only on Origin" on the official website.
But EA wants to get across the message that Origin is more than a retail site, and will evolve with community features borne from the company's history in games creation.
"For us it's really about, we're the worldwide leader in packaged goods publishing, we'd like to be the worldwide leader in digital publishing.
"And we think that EA has unique strengths there related to what we can do with our content, because we're a content creator as well as a retailer in this business. But in general it's not just a retail site, it's a community, it's a platform, it has traits much like you see with Steam or PSN or Xbox Live, but it's unique to EA.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ves-for-origin
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June 16th, 2011, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster
Last time we heard talk of a Sony tablet, the company was confirming our suspicions about
the existence of the S1 and S2, giving the distinctive Android devices a broad global release time frame of this fall. And now we've been shown a private note sent from Sony's marketing group, highlighting an August pre-order and an end of September release date for an unnamed tablet from the company, a timeline that's right in line with our initial report on the S1. The device, according to the note, will be available through Sony Direct, UK department store John Lewis, and a third still-unconfirmed retailer at launch. Availability will apparently open up after the Christmas holiday. The note doesn't offer up much info on the tablet, though it does promise that it stacks up well against the iPad and offers up some "unique design features," which may well refer to the S2's clamshell -- or, for that matter, the S1's curved back.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/15/s...-in-september/
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June 19th, 2011, 10:10 Posted By: wraggster
Beware, malware. The Windows AutoRun updates for Vista and XP SP3 that Microsoft released in February have so far proven successful in thwarting your file corrupting ways. Although Windows 7 was updated to disable AutoPlay within AutoRun for USB drives -- freezing the ability for a virus to exploit it -- the aforementioned versions had remained vulnerable up until right after January. Fast-forward to the period between February and May of this year, and the updates have reduced the number of incidents by 1.3 million compared to the three months prior for the supported Vista and XP builds. Amazingly, when stacked against May of last year, there was also a 68 percent decline in the amount of incidents reported across all builds of Windows using Microsoft's Malicious Software Remove Tool. There's another fancy graph after the break to help illustrate, and you'll find two more along with a full breakdown by hitting the source link down under.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/18/m...ows-are-numbe/
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June 19th, 2011, 19:56 Posted By: wraggster
Tired of getting swamped with spam and malware? Just pack your things and catch the next flight to Japan, where computer viruses are now considered illegal. Under the country's new legislation, anyone convicted of creating or distributing viruses could face up to three years in prison, or a maximum fine of ¥500,000 (about $6,200). It's all part of Japan's efforts to comply with the Convention on Cybercrime -- an international treaty that requires member governments to criminalize hacking, child pornography, and other terrible things. Privacy advocates, however, have already raised concerns over some stipulations that would allow investigators to seize data from PCs hooked up to allegedly criminal networks, and to retain any suspicious e-mail logs for up to 60 days. In an attempt to quell these fears, the Judicial Affairs Committee tacked a resolution on to the bill calling for police to exercise these powers only when they really, really need to.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/17/d...e-theyre-ille/
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June 20th, 2011, 18:46 Posted By: wraggster
An eight-petaflop Japanese supercomputer has grabbed the title of fastest computer on earth in the new Top 500 Supercomputing List to be officially unveiled at the International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg today. The K Computer is based at the RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan, and smashes the previous supercomputing records with a processing power of more than 8 petaflop/s (quadrillion calculations per second) — three times that of its nearest rival."
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/06...stest-On-Earth
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June 20th, 2011, 18:50 Posted By: wraggster
Considering its adoption of the Windows Phone metro style, its not surprising to hear that Windows 8's latest leaked build sports a metro-inspired virtual keyboard and traces of code that could bring SMS 3G enabled Windows 8 devices. An App store and feature licensing, however? That's interesting. Buried in the Windows 8 code, Microsoft enthusiasts have found strings that may hint at a Windows App store, and the ability to activate or deactivate certain OS features through that store. Will this be the end of "Home," "Pro," and "Ultimate" editions of Microsoft's flagship product? We wouldn't hold our breath. Still, Windows Ã* la Carte doesn't sound half bad. Hit up the source link to see the code (and speculation) for yourself.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/20/n...licensing-geo/
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June 21st, 2011, 23:31 Posted By: wraggster
Cloud game streaming service forges partnership with world’s biggest retailer
Gaikai has joined forces with the world’s largest retailer to bring its games streaming service to Walmart.com.
The new Game Center section of Walmart’s website now allows users to play PC titles using Gaikai’s service for free, according to VentureBeat. If they like the game, they can then purchase it with just a few clicks.
“Over the next 12 months, when people see a video game on TV and want to try it out, they can be sure the fastest way will be on Walmart’s website,†said Gaikai chief executive David Perry.
“It’s an exciting time and you’ll see more sites around the world doing these stealth launches with us.â€
Gaikai is currently in talks with 20 games publishers to add more games to its cloud streaming offering. It has already signed a deal with Electronic Arts, granting users access to games such as Dead Space 2.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/45008/Gaik...s-Walmart-deal
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June 21st, 2011, 23:40 Posted By: wraggster
Last month, Google released an open-source project called WebRTC which aims to enables Real-Time Communications capabilities in the web browsers through simple JavaScript APIs. Now, they have taken the first step towards having WebRTC built into Chrome. With WebRTC, developers will be able to build voice and video applications using nothing more than HTML and JavaScript. This is a powerful technology which can challenge services like Skype
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/06...Communications
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June 21st, 2011, 23:41 Posted By: wraggster
Mozilla delivered on Tuesday the final version of Firefox 5, the first edition under the new faster-release regime it kicked off earlier this year. The company also patched 10 bugs in Firefox 5, including one in the browser's handling of the WebGL 3-D rendering standard that rival Microsoft has called unsafe. Firefox 5 looks identical to its predecessor, Firefox 4, but Mozilla's made changes under the hood. Mozilla has denied copying Google Chrome's upbeat schedule but analysts have noted the similarities and pointed out the need of all browser makers to step up the pace. Because of the shorter development cycle, Mozilla called out relatively few new features in Firefox 5.
http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/06...d-Release-Plan
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June 23rd, 2011, 22:13 Posted By: wraggster
JK Rowling finally takes her wizard franchise digital
Author J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books have famously not been available as e-books, but that will change from October this year.
This morning, Rowling took the wrappers off Pottermore, a new website designed to offer new material about the characters and places in the Potter universe. It will be free to use, and launches in beta on 31 July. She is working with Sony on the site, as well as digital agency TH_NK.
However, it's the e-books angle that interests ME. In October when the site emerges from beta, it will also launch a Pottermore Shop, which will sell the Harry Potter series as e-books and audiobooks "exclusively" according to the press release.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/36542...coming-October
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June 23rd, 2011, 22:27 Posted By: wraggster
Unnoticed in the Tuesday release of Firefox 5 was Mozilla's decision to retire Firefox 4, shipped just three months ago. Mozilla spelled out vulnerabilities it had patched in that edition and in 2010's Firefox 3.6, but it made no mention of any bugs fixed in Firefox 4 on Tuesday, because Firefox 4 has reached what Mozilla calls EOL, for 'end of life,' for patches. Although the move may have caught users by surprise, the decision to stop supporting Firefox 4 has been discussed within Mozilla for weeks. In a mozilla.dev.planning mailing list thread, Christian Legnitto, the Firefox release manager, put it most succinctly on May 25: 'Firefox 5 will be the security update for Firefox 4.' Problem is, users are being prompted to upgrade now but are hesitant because the new rapid release of updates means many add-ons are not compatible. And without security updates in between, many could be left exposed with unpatched browsers.
http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/06...curity-Updates
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June 23rd, 2011, 22:33 Posted By: wraggster
Gaikai targets 10 million MAUs through affiliate scheme
Game streaming service Gaikai is looking to add 10 million monthly active users by this autumn through it's affiliates programme.
That's on top of the users it intends to attract for its retail partnerships - this week it confirmed a deal with Walmart in the US - and European equivalents are expected to be announced soon.
"Our first target is to get ten million monthly uniques that we can push these game experiences out to as a way to help the publishers and the online retailers address more audience," Nanea Reeves, chief strategy officer at Gaikai told GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published today.
If our business is to help all of the partners scale their business we have to be ready across multiple fronts
Nanea Revves, Gaikai
The media affiliate partners scheme includes GamesIndustry.biz sister site Eurogamer.net and The Escapist - although a deal with IGN is thought to have stalled since Christmas.
With the service up and running on media and retail websites, Gaikai is also looking at ways to help its publisher partners reach across multiple formats, as the service is able to stream to any device with a decent internet connection.
It's likely Gaikai will expand beyond just offering demos for games and evolve to full game streaming, with Reeves stating that: "The challenge is you get a customer that might be playing a game in their browser but they can't play the game on their Mac. In that case we've been approached – how do we support that customer, and can we transition them to an always on full game stream?"
And while games may not have been designed to work on TV, tablets or mobile devices, Gaikai is currently prototyping solutions that will help make games much more playable on alternative hardware.
"It's stuff we're already prototyping. We've got default iPad, iPhone controllers," Reeves revealed.
During E3 the firm said it expected to be serving games on web-enabled TVs next year - just behind rival OnLive which hopes to open up an addressable market of 75 million users by year end through a deal with Intel and others.
Although Gaikai won't require a custom chip built into TV units, it is also currently working on a control solution for big box gaming.
"With the TVs we will be shipping a controller with the TV as a separate accessory," said Reeves.
Earlier this month at E3 the company demoed games streaming to TV, using a basic remote to highlight the potential.
"We worked with the manufacturing company's engineers to get this working. It's just a proof of concept to see if it was really possible and so now we're starting to figure out how we continue to scale that," added Reeves.
"If our business is to help all of the partners scale their business we have to be ready across multiple fronts. And the nice thing about this solution is that it doesn't require any custom chip to be included in the device or separate unit. We're straight on the existing infrastructure."
Cutting out dedicated games hardware isn't the only solution that Gaikai is offering. Developers will be able to integrate an SDK to take advantage of additional features - one of which is to retrofit 3D to games that were never originally coded that way.
"The game wasn't made in 3D so we're facilitating that in the stream delivery."
"We just built out our network to support the more high end content, so we're just starting to ship those servers out," said Reeves, of 3D services that were first shown at CES this year.
And again not to be outdone by OnLive, Gaikai allows games to be embedded in social networking site Facebook.
"If you just think we can embed in any web page, that would include Facebook, so it's not a big deal. So OnLive is announcing that they're launching from Facebook so you know, we're actually embedded in there. We like those guys, they've done a great job, it's just a very different business model."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...filiate-scheme
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June 23rd, 2011, 22:54 Posted By: wraggster
OnLive's MicroConsole may not have exactly taken the video game market by storm just yet, but it looks like the company isn't about to wait any longer to expand its cloud-based empire. Today it announced that it's partnering with Juniper Networks on what it's describing as a "no-compromise, media-rich, enterprise experience." While it's still apparently in the early stages, that solution will combine OnLive's own instant response video compression technology with Juniper Networks' Junos Pulse client, which together promise to make remotely-accessed desktops and applications "indistinguishable from a local one," regardless of the device you're accessing it on (including tablets and OnLive-enabled TVs). Unfortunately, anything much more specific than that -- including any indication of an actual rollout -- remains a bit light for the time being, but the two companies have already demoed the system at the NExTWORK Conference in New York City today, so it certainly seems like it might not be too far off.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/23/o...for-enterpris/
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June 26th, 2011, 23:40 Posted By: wraggster
A Microsoft executive late Thursday used the furor over Mozilla's decision to curtail support for Firefox 4 to plead the case for Internet Explorer in the enterprise. 'I think I speak for everyone on the IE team when I say we'd like the opportunity to win back your business,' Ari Bixhorn, director of IE at Microsoft, said in a post on his personal blog. 'We've got a great solution for corporate customers with both IE8 and IE9, and believe we could help you address the challenges you're currently facing.' Bixhorn addressed his open letter to the manager of workplace and mobility in the office of IBM's CIO, John Walicki, who, along with others, had voiced their displeasure with Mozilla's decision to retire Firefox 4 from security support. In a comment appended to a blog maintained by Michael Kaply, a consultant who specializes in customizing Firefox, Walicki called Mozilla's decision to end security support for Firefox 4 a 'kick in the stomach.
http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/06...-Beats-IE-Drum
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June 27th, 2011, 11:06 Posted By: wraggster
Team Fortress 2 has dislodged perennial chart hog Counter-Strike from the top of Steam's most-played list.
As noted by PC Gamer, the announcement earlier today that Valve's team-based shooter has gone free-to-play sent the game rocketing from the lower reaches of the top 10 to the number one spot, which Counter-Strike has owned since time immemorial.
It seems, for today at least, the move to a microtransaction-supported business model has won the game tens of thousands of new users.
At the time of writing 69,962 users were playing Team Fortress 2, compared to 54,754 on Counter-Strike.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...counter-strike
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June 27th, 2011, 11:12 Posted By: wraggster
LulzSec has announced it has disbanded – but not without one last hack.
Its "planned 50 day cruise has expired," the group said on Twitter, "and we must now sail into the distance." A bit like that boring bit at the end of The Lord of the Rings, then.
In a parting shot, LulzSec claimed to have released the user names and passwords of over 500,000 accounts gathered from several gaming forums and the Battlefield Heroes beta. The leaked information is now online. It's probably worth changing your password. Again.
The Battlefield Heroes website is down as a result. "Service on the Battlefield Heroes free-to-play site has been temporarily halted while we investigate a security breach," EA said in a statement.
"Our investigation is ongoing however it appears that screen names and encrypted passwords associated with an early beta version of Heroes has been compromised. To the best of our knowledge, it appears that no personal data was compromised.
"No emails, account history, credit card numbers or payment methods. Any further updates will be posted on this page. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to have the game back online shortly."
In a press release of sorts, LulzSec claimed it was made up of "a crew of six" and its 50 days of "lulz" had been planned from the beginning.
LulzSec has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on video game companies. Its attack on Sony, it said, was motivated by the Japanese company's pursuit of PlayStation 3 jailbreaker George Hotz.
It went on to hack or attack companies and video games including Nintendo, Bethesda, Minecraft, League of Legends and Eve Online.
LulzSec's decision to quit comes just a week after UK authorities arrested 19 year-old Essex man Ryan Cleary in connection with computer-related offences.
It also follows an apparent attack on LulzSec itself from an anti-hacker group calling itself the A-Team.
It posted what it said were the real names and locations of LulzSec's most senior members in the UK, US and Sweden, along with transcripts of their conversations. Has this sent LulzSec underground?
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...h-parting-hack
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June 27th, 2011, 11:13 Posted By: wraggster
George "Geohot" Hotz, the man who hacked into the PlayStation 3, is working for social networking giant Facebook, according to online reports.
Hotz reportedly revealed he was working at Facebook after turning down a challenge to crack the iPad 2.
A member of the Chronic-Dev Team named Joshua Hill said in a live stream interview with MyGreatFest that Hotz, who settled out of court with Sony earlier this year, didn't want the attention a hack attempt on the iPad 2 would bring.
Hill claims Hotz is working at Facebook in video of the interview published by Techunwrapped.
Geohot apparently has a Facebook page, too. The first post at the top of page reads: "Facebook is really an amazing place to work… first hackathon over."
Apparently, Geohot "doesn't want to do public appearances anymore".
Well he's changed his tune…
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...g-for-facebook
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June 27th, 2011, 14:37 Posted By: wraggster
Cloud gaming service wants to reach new user milestone by autumn this year
Gaikai has set itself a target of reaching 10m monthly active users through its affiliates programme.
The online cloud gaming streaming service – which allows users to play demos by streaming them through their internet browser – wants to hit this milestone by autumn this year.
The news comes following Gaikai’s deal with Walmart which will see the retail giant’s website host game demos using the streaming service.
“Our first target is to get ten million monthly uniques that we can push these game experiences out to as a way to help the publishers and the online retailers address more audience,†Gaikai’s CSO Nanea Reeves told Gamesindustry.
Gaikai hinted it may offer more than just game demos for its publishing partners – such as full games.
“The challenge is you get a customer that might be playing a game in their browser but they can't play the game on their Mac. In that case we’ve been approached – how do we support that customer, and can we transition them to an always-on full game stream?â€
The firm says rival OnLive – which is launching in the UK later this year with a micro console TV adaptor and wireless controller – has a “very different business model†compared to Gaikai.
Gaikai is also testing its service on the iPad and iPhone.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/45094/Gaikai-chases-10m-users
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June 27th, 2011, 17:12 Posted By: wraggster
"I believe the cloud will become the dominant way to play high performance video games"
After the jostling for podium positions at E3, OnLive has declared itself “the fourth platform†– and predicted that it will soon be No.1 for core gaming.
The cloud-based service, which launches in the UK this autumn, has been live in the US for almost a year.
CEO Steve Perlman told MCV: “What’s exciting at the moment is that in some ways we’ve been an emerging platform until now. First we had to prove it worked, then that it would work across a certain scale. Then we had to bulk out the offering and start getting day and date releases, and we’ve done all that. People are now treating us like the fourth platform and it’s great to finally be there.â€
Looking ahead, he claimed that eventually cloud-based gaming would be the only viable environment for the industry’s showcase releases.
“I believe the cloud will become the dominant way to play high performance video games,†he said. “We showed a trailer on our booth at E3 for Arkham City and I asked everyone who saw it, which part do you think is live action and which is computer generated? The truth is, it’s all computer generated and no one I asked got that.
“That demo is a preview of what’s coming to OnLive. And there’s no possible way to have sufficient computing power locally to run gaming like that in real time. But we can in a data centre.
“Even a new console, a monster sitting in your living room, couldn’t handle this stuff. It just can’t be done.â€
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/45103/OnLi...for-core-games
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June 27th, 2011, 17:16 Posted By: wraggster
Some have argued that Mozilla's switch to a faster release cycle has made it more difficult for companies to use Firefox, but the open-source browser maker isn't too bothered, according to one employee. Asa Dotzler, community coordinator for Firefox marketing and founder of Mozilla's quality assurance scheme, said Firefox is for "regular users" — not businesses. "Enterprise has never been (and I'll argue, shouldn't be) a focus of ours," he said. "A minute spent making a corporate user happy can better be spent making many regular users happy. I'd much rather Mozilla was spending its limited resources looking out for the billions of users that don't have enterprise support systems already taking care of them.
http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/06...Not-Businesses
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June 27th, 2011, 17:20 Posted By: wraggster
When Microsoft released its Kinect SDK we marveled at the impact it could have on desktop interaction; sure enough, Kevin Connolly's Kinect Natural User Interface has made our geeky pipe-dreams a reality. His inspiration for project? Not surprisingly, the Minority Report UI (aka g-speak). Similar projects like MIT's hack do exist, but it's brilliant knowing that another emulation has been made rather quickly with Redmond's tools. In a brief video using the Kinect on Windows 7, he demos various ways of manipulating on-screen content with hand gestures and body tracking -- neglecting his mouse in the process. It's still a work in progress, but the results are already quite striking, so take that ancient input device and click past the break for the full demo.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/27/k...-in-windows-s/
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June 27th, 2011, 21:57 Posted By: wraggster
30 years after its original release, the brand new Commodore 64 is now on sale - and it's powerful enough to handle top-end PC games.
Commodore USA's recreation of the 8-bit machine has seen its original 64 kilobytes of memory boosted to 2GB of DDR3 (expandable to 4GB), with a 1.8ghz dual-core Intel Atom D525 and the latest Nvidia Ion2 graphics chipset included.
A slot or tray load DVD R/W drive - with optional Blu-ray - is onboard, along with a multi format card reader/writer and five USB slots.
The new C64 can run original 8-bit games through an emulator (via a later update) and is said to be "as close to the original in design as humanly possible."
The firm's also unveiled more modern-looking versions, the Commodore VIC-Pro and VIC-Slim, with the former boasting a dual or quad core processor running as fast as 3.0Ghz.
Prices range from $250 to $1195, depending on spec. R
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS
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June 28th, 2011, 11:13 Posted By: wraggster
Cheapie no-names are already a fifth of the market
Rebranded white-label tablet PCs are capturing ever more market share from brand name devices according to a DigiTimes report.
The no-name tablets already account for up to 20 per cent of the global tablet PC market in the first quarter 2011, according to DigiTimes sources within the manufacturing upstream supply chain.
Pricing is playing a key role in the rapid expansion into developing markets with DigiTimes sources believing that the white-label market will increasingly threaten 'first-tier tablet PC players' in the second half of the year.
The sources noted that the North American market is seeing the rise in popularity of a number of rebranded low-end tablets to the point that they have appeared in the Amazon top-20 selling product lists. Most of the devices are 7-inch resistive touch screen devices selling for a fraction of that of high-end branded models.
One such example is the UK Andy Pad set to arrive in September priced at £129. Amazon UK also provides a window into the emerging white-label Android tablets with a number of sub £100 models with generic sounding names such as Epad, Apad and Tabtech.
A common feature of such devices is that they are marketed by placing the emphasis on Google and Android rather than the brand name of the devices. With continued supply shortage of higher spec brand-name devices in the channel, such generic inexpensive devices look set to become increasing attractive to retailers.
DigiTimes source dryly noted that such devices "can be easily damaged or have a defect."
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/36561...n-major-brands
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June 28th, 2011, 11:22 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft is telling Windows users that they'll have to reinstall the OS if they get infected with a new rootkit. A new variant of a Trojan Microsoft calls Popureb digs so deeply into the system that the only way to eradicate it is to return Windows to its out-of-the-box configuration, Chun Feng, an engineer with the Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC), said last week on the group's blog. 'If your system does get infected with Trojan:Win32/Popureb.E, we advise you to fix the MBR and then use a recovery CD to restore your system to a pre-infected state,' said Feng. A recovery disc returns Windows to its factory settings
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/06...dows-Reinstall
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June 29th, 2011, 00:40 Posted By: wraggster
Tomorrow all of the Star Wars books that have not previously been released as ebooks are being released. This includes the Zahn books that started the Star Wars book explosion, as well as older books such as Alan Dean Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye, which was written prior to certain revelations in The Empire Strikes Back
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/st...ased-As-Ebooks
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June 29th, 2011, 02:06 Posted By: wraggster
via http://www.aep-emu.de/PNphpBB2-file-...c-t-17127.html
ODAMEX is a modified Doom source port available for Windows, Mac, Linux and FreeBSD.
Quote:
Odamex 0.5.3 (r2284)
Odamex 0.5.3 was released on June 24th, 2011.
Features
Emulate vanilla Doom bug: respawning cube-spawned monsters at map location (0, 0). This should fix desync of 30nm4048.lmp
Restored dead player´s view following the actor who killed them.
Bug Fixes
Sometimes players would make a death scream when switching to spectate. Fixed.
Some video modes were duplicated under video mode options. Fixed.
Fixed a crash that would occur when a client attempts to download a wad when the server had sv_waddownload disabled.
Fixed trash information spamming the console when launching odamex from odalaunch under linux.
Players would play the ´oomph´ sound when they landed from jumping in place. Since this is probably vanilla behavior, this was edited for co_zdoomphys since it was particularly noticeable and annoying for CTF.
Player death scream wouldn´t be audible if the player respawned instantaneously. Fixed.
Fixed issues with rightalt, rightctrl, and rightshift showing up as numbers.
Reuse any thinker for a particular sector when opening a door like vanilla Doom. This fixes the demo desync with ep1-0500.lmp.
Vanilla demos were parsing the demo type incorrectly, so altdeath demos would run in normal deathmatch. Fixed.
Display names should only target living players. Fixed.
-fork would crash. Fixed.
http://www.odamex.net/
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June 29th, 2011, 02:08 Posted By: wraggster
via http://www.aep-emu.de/PNphpBB2-file-...c-t-17129.html
corsix-th is reimplementation of the game engine from Theme Hospital.
Quote:
Changelog
Known Issues
If the X-Ray Viewer is inaccessible in the Operating Theatre the whole room will be unusable.
There are still many features which are not yet implemented including trash, earthquakes, epidemics and awards.
The graph window doesn´t show any graphs.
Handyman priorities are not yet fully implemented.
Gameplay
Added: Staff severance pay.
Added: Patients may die if they don´t get treated in time.
Added: Doctors slowly gain skill when working.
Added: Extra objects and the number of trainees influence speed of training in the training room.
Added: Even with no research new machines will eventually become available.
Added: Some patients have started littering your hospital with soda cans! Make sure you have enough handymen to keep your hospital clean.
Added: Modern heating systems aren´t as reliable as they used to be. Prepare for breakdowns now and then.
New disease: Alien DNA! Note that there are still a few glitches to fix concerning this new disease.
Change: Vending maintenance costs have increased throughout the world and as a result Sodas now cost $20, up from $15.
Change: Heating costs are calculated on a per day basis, rather than per month.
Change: Machine and drug improvements are now made evenly across all eligible objects rather than maxing one at a time.
Change: Humanoids never meander outside anymore.
Fix: Handymen no longer crash the game when trying to water an unreachable plant.
Fix: Staff resting in the staff room should keep their sofa until fully rested if there´s nothing else to do.
Fix: The player can´t hire new staff or pay bonuses without a positive balance.
User Interface
Added: The graph window, no graphs yet though.
Added: Right click menu in the queue dialog.
Added: Confirmation dialog when about to fire a member of staff.
Fix: If there is only one person who is in an emergency, use the singular form in the sentence.
Fix: The pickup item button in the edit room dialog is now fully functional.
Fix: The pointer should no longer jump around in Linux when using SDL.
Graphics
Added: The scanner uses more than one animation.
Fix: Some objects were cut in half after a relocation.
Translations
Change: If the specified language is not found, try to revert to English.
Fix: Competitor names are now translatable.
http://code.google.com/p/corsix-th/
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June 29th, 2011, 02:12 Posted By: wraggster
via http://www.aep-emu.de/PNphpBB2-file-...c-t-17137.html
D2X-XL is an OpenGL-port of Descent II.
Supported platforms are Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.
Quote:
updates since last AEP reported release 1.15.232
v1.14.236
Fixed: Various bugs and flaws in hitbox based collision detection and handling were removed
v1.15.235
Improved: Static objects cannot be penetrated during collisions anymore
Improved: The ´spaniard´ cheat will not destroy geometry objects (i.e. objects with AI ´static´ and strength 0)
Improved: Geometry objects do not count towards the robot tally
v1.15.234
Improved: Static objects will now have somewhat better collision handling
Improved: Static objects will not fire back when being shot at
Improved: Static objects will be treated like geometry when being shot at
Improved: Static objects will not cast shadows
v1.15.233
Fixed: The program could hang or crash when trying to read broken mission info
Fixed: No lightmaps were computed by the non-OpenMP program version when multi threading was enabled (via d2x.ini)
Fixed: Objects with a strength of 0 caused program crashes; such objects are now handled as indestructible
For the complete changelog, please visit the official site
http://www.descent2.de/
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June 29th, 2011, 02:14 Posted By: wraggster
via http://www.aep-emu.de/PNphpBB2-file-...c-t-17139.html
FreeSynd is an open source project that aims to provide a free Syndicate clone (released under the GPL).
Quote:
FreeSynd 0.5 : Release Notes
----------------------------
Description
-----------
This is a prelimary release for testing and development purposes.
Changes
-------
* Correct positioning by Z axis for all objects
* Bug, too small space allocated for enhance/info cost values, destructor for Mission class was not able to deallocate briefing string
* Vehicles have people set inside
* Only driver is able to drive vehicle
* If vehicle is destroyed people leave it
* People are armed, but enemy agents are not armed correctly
* In missions, at start, where weapons are on floor, weapons should be visible now
* Small doors will open and close
* Vehicles will not move if they are destroyed
* Project is now buld with autoconf/automake
* Map menu is now completly functional
* Neon signs are correctly setup on mission load
* Correct animations for people/vehicles on damage recieved
* Instant damage, damage types
* Energy shield will not protect from Hit, Explosion
* Use of freesynd.ini file to specify application configuration
* Use of language files
* Added minimap to briefmenu
* Fixed, selection for agents killed during gameplay is not possible now
* Added information about killed during mission to Debrief menu
* When agent is killed during mission he will be removed from agents list
* Added description to mission brief in 3 more languages
* Z checking for inRange checking
* Trees animations : normal, burning, damaged now in use
Fixed Bugs
----------
* 3005295 : The tax rate for the region cannot be altered by player
* 3031032 : Rewrite animation generation procedures
* 3272545 : Team button not selected when clicking on inventory item
Features added
----------
* 3043686 : Game time
* 3072653 : Use libsyndicate data info
* 3086469 : Tax influence on countries status
* 3081550 : Minimap basic
* 3086471 : Implements Reseach functionnality
* 3086955 : Possibility to load/save game
Known issues with this release
------------------------------
* Agent AI is not operational.
* The minimap is not complete.
* PathFinding requires improvement
* Mission debriefing is not operational
* No animation for windows
* Map drawing is buggy
http://freesynd.sourceforge.net/
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June 29th, 2011, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster
Trip Hawkins has again espoused the future of the browser as the future of gaming, citing its convenience, ease of use and the freedom it affords developers as key factors in its road to dominance.
Speaking at the Gamelab event in Barcelona, Hawkins talked about the disruption of traditional game distribution channels and media which have occured thanks to the rise of social, mobile and browser-based gaming.
"The browser has already won on the PC," Hawkins told attendees. "It'll win on the tablets. It'll take longer for it to adapt to the smaller screens, the iPhones and the like, but it will."
Virtual goods, attached to a free-to-play model, will be the key factor in that rise, Hawkins feels, calling them the "most important" factor in making money from social gaming.
"What you're going to see is free to play, pay for items in the browser. That's where all the money is going to be."
A key factor in that area will be the so-called whales - those players who buy big in social games to dominate and feel superior to the players who do not. However, whilst it's the whales which are spending the money, the players who don't are just as important. Without them, the big spenders would have nobody to beat.
Developers will be afforded new freedoms in a browser-dominated industry, too - without the creative and financial pressures currently exerted by publishers and retail chains.
It's a theme which Hawkins has spoken on before, and his success in the medium lends credence to his evangalism. Digital Chocolate is part of what Hawkins refered to as the 100 million club - those companies which can boast 100 million or more play sessions across several key forms of new media: Facebook, browser, app stores and virtual good stores.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-won-on-the-pc
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June 29th, 2011, 23:46 Posted By: wraggster
OnLive wants to bring its market-leading facial and motion capture technology Contour to video games in the near future, claiming that the graphical quality is only possible using game streaming services.
The technology, developed by OnLive sister company MOVA, has featured in multiple Hollywood movies, winning an Oscar for Achievement in Visual Effects for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and most recently seen in Green Lantern, the latest Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and Transformers releases.
It has also been deployed in Warner Bros. Batman: Arkham City trailer, which OnLive CEO Steve Perlman described as a "test", as he hopes it will next be used for in-game graphics in video games.
"It shows the kind of capability we're going to be doing in games for OnLive, live," he told GamesIndustry.biz.
"It can't run on Xbox, it can't run on any 2012 technology, it's not going to run on a PC, so it's only going to be running in cloud based computing," he added.
"What makes this real, what distinguishes this from any other trailer, is the face. None of the other stuff is different from the sort of 3D stuff that's being done, but when you see this real human face suddenly you say 'oh my god, this is live action'".
Perlman, who also acts as president of MOVA as well as streaming games service OnLive, said it's now time to bring the two technologies together, and added that the company has proven itself to publishing and development partners with the successful roll-out of OnLive over the past year.
"This is where gaming's going, and it's going to be on every kind of device, everywhere you are, and the publishers, there are over 50 publishers that are supporting us, so we're no longer in a position where we're like 'OK, are we going to work, are users going to adopt this thing, is there an economic model that works?'"
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...to-video-games
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June 30th, 2011, 13:57 Posted By: wraggster
$135 AMD A8-3850 slaughters Sandy Bridge for graphics
AMD announced the launch of the desktop versions of the 'Llano' Fusion A-Series of Accelerated Processing Units (APUs).
The chip maker said that the new AMD A8-3850 and A6-3650 processors will "enable a high-performance experience for desktop users, including brilliant HD graphics, supercomputer-like performance, and incredibly fast application speeds."
With the new desktop APUs launched, AMD also lifted the embargo on reviews of the new chip. Techspot's A8-3850 review said that rival Intel's Sandy Bridge, which provided a considerable boost to in graphics performance, had still failed to make entry-level graphics cards obsolete.
However the new $135 AMD A8-3850 was found to consistently outperform discreet cards such as the GeForce GT 520 and Radeon HD 6450. Techspot described the AMD APU graphics performance as "on another level" to Intel Sandy Bridge Core i7 2600K, calling processor 'the new budget king.'
Techspot said that while the APUs were unlikely to set performance enthusiast hearts fluttering, budget systems stood to benefit and that the A8-3850 "looks like it's going to be a real winner for AMD."
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/36570...ew-budget-king
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June 30th, 2011, 14:00 Posted By: wraggster
RUMOUR WATCH: Stern Agee analyst claims company's next MMO title is aimed at mass market
Blizzard remains tight-lipped on it's mysterious project Titan but an analyst claims that the game is a casual MMO.
In his most recent report, Stern Agee's Arvind Bhatia wrote that Blizzard Entertainment's next products include "expansion packs for StarCraft and World of Warcraft, a new Diablo game [and] a new casual MMO", according to Kotaku.
He also claimed that these products are all likely to be released "in the next 12 to 24 months".
Blizzard has previously confirmed that Titan is the codename for its next generation MMO - could 'next generation' refer to the audience as well as the game itself?
Many believe the firm's World of Warcraft has reached its peak, having seen subscriptions fall to a three-year low last month. The recent announcement that WoW is going free-to-play will no doubt slow this decline.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/45145/Anal...-is-casual-MMO
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July 1st, 2011, 00:03 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has clarified the advice it gave users whose Windows PCs are infected with a new, sophisticated rootkit dubbed Popereb that buries itself on the hard drive's boot sector, noting Wednesday that a complete OS reinstall is not necessary. 'If your system is infected with Trojan:Win32/Popureb.E, we advise fixing the MBR using the Windows Recovery Console to return the MBR to a clean state,' MMPC engineer Chun Feng wrote in an updated blog entry. Feng provided links to instructions on how to use the Recovery Console for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Once the MBR has been scrubbed, users can run antivirus software to scan the PC for additional malware for removal, Feng added. Several security researchers agreed with Microsoft's revisions, but a noted botnet expert doubted that the advice guaranteed a clean PC. But an internationally-known botnet expert disagrees. Joe Stewart, director of malware research at Dell SecureWorks, said, 'Once you're infected, the best advice is to [reinstall] Windows and start over ... [MBR rootkits] download any number of other malware. How much of that are you going to catch? This puts the user in a tough position.' MBR rootkit malware is among the most advanced of all threats.
http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/06/3...moving-Rootkit
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July 1st, 2011, 00:30 Posted By: wraggster
Total War: Shogun 2 won't be getting mod tools anytime soon, developer Creative Assembly has announced, though it's not for want of trying.
In a post on the game's forums, community manager Craig Laycock explained that the increasing complexity of the series has made it very difficult for the studio to offer users functional editing tools.
"Back then, the game engine was a hell of a lot simpler than it is now," he said, referring to 2004's Rome: Total War. "There was a fraction of the database table files we use today, and these were basic, easily-editable text files.
"Compared to today’s binary files, which we’ve had to implement to fight naturally expanding load-times, they were a doddle to mod.
"Likewise, today’s campaign map is vastly more complex and data-dense than Rome’s, which was basically a simple TGA file that could be edited in photoshop. Today’s maps demand way more complexity in order to allow for better path-finding and AI."
He went on to explain that the studio had tried its best to come up with a system that would work with Shogun 2, but so far without success.
"We have tools that work with our internal data processes, but wouldn’t work at all as mod tools. It would take a huge amount of development resources to combine them into something approaching usable.
"Many of our tools are just designed to work with our raw data formats and process them into something used by the game, not to take a processed item and view or edit it.
"Nor do we have tools to do most of the things you really want – such as model importing – as we have no need of them; we have the raw models, and can always export them and reprocess them.
"Creating a set of tools specifically for modding is never going to be the quick or simple procedure many of you would hope for,†he continued, “and between making games, creating new content and supporting each release with balances and fixes, our production schedules are fierce."
As way of a compromise, the studio has decided to make the complete raw database XML and XSD files for both Empire: Total War and Napoleon: Total War available for download via the game's website.
"Please understand that we’re not trying to constrain modding in any way," he continued, "we simply haven’t been able to support it as well as we really wanted to, and the increasingly complex Warscape engine is by nature much harder to mod.
"Also, this isn’t a conspiracy to make you buy DLC over creating your own content… if that were true, there never would have been the possibility of making unit-packs for Empire and Napoleon.
"The fact remains that modders have made many such excellent units, and enriched the game for thousands of Total War players. We still want to help though, and we think the best way to do this is to give you the raw database XML and XSD files."
Laycock added Creative Assembly was working on a more satisfactory solution for modders, though wouldn't put a date on when the community might learn more.
"We’re going to stop promising specifics that we’re unable to deliver, as we all know how well that’s worked out in the past."
Total War: Shogun 2 launched on PC earlier this year, pillaging a handsome 9/10 from Eurogamer's Tim Stone.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...od-tools-delay
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