StarCraft 2 Trilogy Interview
VE: WTF Dude!?! Blizzard: T_T
Far Cry 2 DRM Revealed
You Know You Love it!
Red Alert 3 Gone Golden
In Stores Oct 28th
Far Cry 2 Has Gone Gold
In Stores Oct 21st
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That's according to COO Paul Sams, who said the pattern of players leaving and then returning to Warcraft follows that of any major MMO release."We've certainly had some of that happen, which is the same thing we experienced with Age of Conan and each time an MMO has come out we've seen some amount of reduction of use," he said in an exclusive interview published today.
"The good news is that we've seen a significant number of people, well over half, that cited Warhammer as their reason for leaving - they've already returned."
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Cooling
Keyboards
Memory
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360
PS3
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Atlantica Online Media #14
The squad-based strategy title's Egyptian area offers a side quest in a dungeon where the boss is a powerful deity
- Six exclusive screenshots
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Today's question:
The big multiplayer console game of the year is going to be....?
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There is no solution to the issue of protecting intellectual property (IP) that will satisfy all parties. There are customers who will accept nothing less than publishers acquiescing to a quasi-honor system for purchasing software. That doesn’t work. At the other end of the spectrum, there are publishers who want customers to have an always-on Internet connection to play a single-player game. They have every right to require this if they want, but it will cost them tremendously in terms of goodwill and sales.So what are the issues people have with DRM?
Legitimate complaint: They don’t want the copy protection to interfere with their enjoyment or use of the software or game.
Legitimate complaint: If a program wants to have a limited activation system, then it needs to provide a way to de-authorize other computers (ala iTunes).
Legitimate complaint: A program should not be installing drivers or other hidden files on the system that use system resources.
Legitimate complaint: Activation-based DRM means that if the publisher goes out of business or simply stops supporting their content that the customer can no longer use their legally purchased item.
Legitimate complaint: Having an arbitrarily low limit on personal activations makes the program feel like it’s being rented.
Legitimate complaint: Requiring the user to always be online to play a single-player game. Though we do think publishers have the right to require this as long as they make it clear on the box.Borderline: Requiring the user to have an Internet connection to install a game.
Illegitimate complaint: Keeps people from installing the program on as many PCs as they own. I own an office full of PCs. I don’t think Microsoft would be happy if I installed Office on all of them.
Illegitimate complaint: Keeps people from easily having LAN parties with their game. We allow this but demonizing publishers who frown on this seems unreasonable.
Illegitimate complaint: Requires people to get updates through a specific source (Steam, Impulse, publisher secure website, etc.). This is one of our biggest pet peeves. If a game ships and there’s some bug found that materially affects gameplay, then sure, put out a patch wherever. However, we’ve had users complain loudly that Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 (essentially a free expansion pack) requires Impulse to download. Publishers have every right to make sure the people downloading updates are legitimate customers.
Illegitimate complaint: Makes it harder for people to resell programs. (Not saying reselling programs is right or wrong, only that it is not the function of DRM to make it hard or easy to do this, it’s a separate issue.)
Illegitimate complaint: DRM is just wrong in principle, you buy something, you own it and should be able to do whatever you want. This is a view held by some but the person who makes the thing has the right to distribute it how they want. If I spend $5 million making a game, someone paying $50 doesn’t “own” it. There has to be some middle ground on serving customers and protecting IP holders.Stardock’s position is that IP holders have the right to do whatever they want with their IP. That doesn’t mean what they do is necessarily a good idea or good business.
For our games, we will continue the policy of releasing our retail games without any copy protection or DRM on the disc. However, we will require customers who want updates to download them from us and to make sure those updates are meaningful – not just bug fixes but actual improvements based on player feedback.
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Wired: Exactly. That’s key.I have no idea if you guys are even remotely close to knowing this, but when -- broad, ballpark estimate -- can we expect to see Diablo III on retail shelves?
Pardo: When it’s ready.
Wired: Ok ... alright ...
Pardo: [Laughter]
Wired: Is that like 2 years from now? A decade from now?
Pardo: I don’t ... I don’t know how far out it is, but it’s still fairly early in development. I think when people see it, it feels so polished and so finished, but the reality is we have a very small portion of the game done right now.
A lot of the way we develop is: We wanna make sure the game is really fun and the visual fidelity we want ... we wanna make sure we have a small area that feels really done so we know what to build. So even though it looks really complete a lot of the content is just not there. We have a long ways to go to build each of the different acts in the game and put in all the quests and all the different monsters. We have a lot of development ahead of us before it will be something ... It will definitely be out after StarCraft II.
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1. Gamers shall have the right to return games that are incompatible or do not function at a reasonable level of performance for a full refund within a reasonable amount of time.
2. Gamers shall have the right that games they purchase shall function as designed without defects that would materially affect the player experience.
3. Gamers shall have the right that games will receive updates that address minor defects as well as improves gameplay based on player feedback within reason.
4. Gamers shall have the right to have their games not require a third-party download manager installed in order for the game to function.
5. Gamers shall have the right to have their games perform adequately if their hardware meets the posted recommended requirements.
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New York's powerful police unions say that a violent new video game called "Saints Row 2" is an abomination. In the game, the player controls a gang member who can steal, do drugs and kill as many characters as possible, including police officers.Union officials say the game dehumanizes police officers, trivializes violence and sets a terrible example for young people. The game's maker says it's meant for people 17 years and older.
On Tuesday, surrounded by police union members who support her bid for Manhattan District Attorney, candidate Leslie Crocker-Snyder and others spoke out against the violent game.
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As work is in progress I do not have a definite date for when this patch will be released as it needs to be tested and clear certification with Sony before it is scheduled and released. I do know this will not be until after the game’s launch, and I will update you with details on that date as I receive them.I’ll be releasing the entire patch list when it’s all finalized, but for now I’m sure you’ll be happy to see that these two fixes are included:
Big Daddy Bouncer and Elite Bouncer Textures Appeared Pixelated
Fix for an issue where large blocky pixels would show up whenever viewing the Bouncer and Elite Bouncer variants of the Big Daddy.White Bars
Fix for an issue where white/discolored bars would show up at the right and bottom sides of the screen during the plane crash / water scene at the beginning of the game.
In other news, IGN has reviewed the port.
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Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the PC version of its highly anticipated new survival co-op game, Left 4 Dead, is available for pre-purchase worldwide via Steam, a leading online platform for the distribution and management of PC games with over 15 million accounts worldwide.Like the pre-purchase promotions happening at retail for the PC and Xbox 360 versions, those who pre-purchase via Steam will save 10% off the regular price. The pre-order promotions are part of a $10 million marketing campaign that includes television, outdoor, online and print advertising.
"With just over four weeks until launch, Left 4 Dead is showing every sign of topping The Orange Box on both the PC and Xbox 360, at retail as well as on Steam," said Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing at Valve. "Our pre-sell numbers at retail have jumped to over 65% greater than Orange Box at the same proximity to launch, and we're seeing tremendous enthusiasm for the product in what promises to be another great year for gaming on both platforms."
Set in the immediate aftermath of the highly-anticipated zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead features single player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay modes. Next-generation artificial intelligence tailors the pacing and difficulty ensuring a different experience every time the game is played.
Left 4 Dead is due for release on PC and Xbox 360 on November 18 in North America and November 21 in Europe. The worldwide Steam release will happen November 18.
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Purchase here.
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This article is not a test. Just an "introduction for things to come". Why? Because the conditions under which I had to play this "RPG" were not acceptable: sixteen hours in a row in a luxurious hotel on an almost finished build, Bethesda asking to see my screenshots in order to "approve" them...These factors, going from obnoxious to truly scandalous would have made my review biased or even dishonest. Well, I mean a little more dishonest than what I usually do. But have no fear, even though I was deprived of my screenshots, I'm not deprived from my opinion. Condolences: Fallout 3 is a sluggish device, soulless, not exactly terrible, actually almost enjoyable, but totally forgettable because of uncountable dishonest compromises.
Dear Bethesda,
If you send me a review copy of Fallout 3 please include hookers. Maybe twins or something cool like that. I especially like ones with big boobies. Big boobies are awesome. You can even approve the screenshots! Well, the ones of the big boobied twin hookers, at least. I promise to take a lot of them!
Your Pal,
Apache
P.S. - It must be nice being a member of the European press!
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Players have great things to look forward to in EVE Online: Quantum Rise. Corporations will be able to set their products apart from the rest by building trust in their goods through customizable storefronts. The backbone of EVE's vibrant economy, industrial ships are being rebalanced and optimized to better suit the needs of haulers and industrialists-including the latest edition to the fleet, a massive capital industrial ship dubbed the Orca. A new certificate system will give a quick and verifiable means to discern a pilot's skill level in trading, gunnery or countless other professions, providing plenty of bragging rights. Meanwhile, the introduction of a medal system allows corporations to distinguish their most valued pilots and honor them for their achievements.The staged delivery of EVE Online: Quantum Rise began with the recent implementation of technological breakthroughs such as StacklessIO and EVE64 which upgraded the server hardware and streamlined communication between server and client to severely reduce lag. The reality of thousands of ships simultaneously engaged in adrenaline-charged combat is at hand and several fleet battles have already been fought using this new technology. Emboldened by the significant effects these improvements bring to high-level gameplay, CCP will push forward with a myriad of hardware and server improvements to bring the most massive player vs player experience available, expanding a boundless universe into a limitless one.
"We are very proud to be delivering this expansion, both in terms of features and the sheer performance increases made possible by deep refactoring of selected portions of our network and server code, complimented with the finest hardware we could find," says Torfi Frans Ólafsson, Senior Producer of EVE Online. "I can't imagine a better game where you can engage hundreds of people simultaneously in highly immersive tactical combat or simply sit back and make millions off of the conflict via research, manufacturing or logistics. You choose your destiny; that's the beauty of it."
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Pick the flavor of your choice here.
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Apparently, however, the London mayor is happy for EA to rot the brains of everyone passing through Trafalgar Square later this month. That's where it'll host the Be the One event as part of the London Games Festival."I'm delighted that the London Games Festival is back in our city for its third year," Johnson told a press release. "It demonstrates the creativity and range of the gaming industry, which, as an important part of London's creative sector, makes a vital contribution to the economy as a whole.
"With events across the capital, the festival has something for everyone and illustrates the popularity of this thriving form of entertainment," he added.
But that's not all! "I am pleased to see EA's Be the One event is returning to Trafalgar Square," Johnson went on. "It was an undoubted highlight of last year's festival, which reinforces London's position at the centre of one the most fastest-growing creative industries in the world."
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Content: Tom Clancy's EndWar Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Switzterland
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) ALCOHOL REFERENCE,BLOOD,LANGUAGE,SUGGESTIVE THEMES,TOBACCO REFERENCE,VIOLENCE,GAME EXPERIENCE MAY CHANGE DURING ONLINE PLAY] Experience World War III in your living room with Tom Clancy’s EndWar, a revolutionary new war game built to maximize next-generation gaming consoles and completely controllable by voice. This demo includes one map playable in both single-player and 1 versus 1 multiplayer. English, French and Spanish are supported.
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Some DRM points that will hopefully answer some of your questions and will clarify some misunderstandings about our DRM and SecuROM:You have 5 activations on 3 separate PCs. Uninstalling the game “refunds” an activation. This process is called “revoke”, so as long as you complete proper uninstall you will be able to install the game an unlimited number of times on 3 systems. You can upgrade your computer as many time as you want (using our revoke system) Ubisoft is committed to the support of our games, and additional activations can be provided. Ubisoft is committed to the long term support of our games: you’ll always be able to play Far Cry 2.
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It seems like a minor thing, maybe, but it's the little things that can break a great game.I don't think it's minor at all, character builds and customization is a HUGE thing, and it's important you be concerned with it. It's important that we be concerned with it, and customization and differentiating one person from another is a pretty big deal. Being able to try different things with the same class is a pretty big deal.
At this point someone brings up that respecs are going to ruin wanting to replay the same classes over and over again, and you'd be right, if we weren't already thinking about it and potential solutions.
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Get the demo from:
Atomic Gamer Computer Games Romania FileFront FilePlanet GamersHell WorthPlaying
Buyer beware: The installer is supposedly broken.
October 15th Update: A working copy of the demo can be found here.
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Enjoy!
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Benchmarks/performance
Cases
Cooling
Guides
Mice
Power Supply
Video
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Silkroad Online Media #38
New European characters in Joymax quasi-historical release start out in Constantinople and move on to Samarkand - Six exclusive 1280x960 screenshots
Guild Wars Interview
An update from Arena.net
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Today's question:
What's your prefered way to level up in a MMORPG? (Quests, killing mobs, other players, etc)
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