Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 10, 2011
The Godfather: Five Families on Facebook puts friendly ties to the test
Thanks to a partnership with Paramount Digital Entertainment, the developer will pay homage to the Academy Award-winning film trilogy in the only way it knows: intense, constant competition. (And, in this case, tested friendships.) The Godfather: Five Families throws players into the Prohibition Era of our fine nation's history with the initial choice to join one of five families--just like in the movies--and vie to become the dominant family in New York.
AddictingGames on iPhone is the top free App Store app after 48 hours
The company looks to constantly update the AG app with new games, and already three new games are slated to hit the app on Oct. 20 in a Halloween-themed update. The app features Facebook Connect integration, which allows players to share their high scores and achievements. Players can also share games they've discovered in the app, which should come more in handy as the list of available games grows.
First Elvis, now John Belushi to be revived in a Facebook game, too?
"Everyone remembers the comic genius of John Belushi," Entertainment Games president Gene Mauro said in a release. "He brought laughter to the world, and it's truly exciting to cast him in new roles and feature him on virtual goods in our new social game. We're honored to be associated with CMG Worldwide and John Belushi and look forward to announcing more of our game's celebrity cast members as we approach our product launch."
Asura's Wrath maker says mobile social games are 'all rubbish'
However, don't think that Matsuyama's ire for social games is uninformed--the guy has reached Level 250 in DeNA's Kaito Royale for smartphones. "They're not fun at all. But, I have to play it," Matsuyama told Gamasutra. "The reality is that it has over 3 million users, and it's true that they're making money. I need to be aware of those businesses, so of course I play them. GREE's Dragon Collection. I've played that, too. [Matsuyama pulls out two smartphones] This is my iPhone, and this is my Android phone, and I play these games on both of these phones -- but they're all rubbish
MapleStory Adventures hits home on Facebook in new content update
At any point during play, you can now press the "Go Home" button on the right hand side of your screen to enter your house. From here, you can craft various items and enchant your own equipment to upgrade its effectiveness. The home space also features a peach tree that you can pick daily for extra experience, and a mail box to collect daily bonus items from.
Thứ Ba, 25 tháng 10, 2011
The iPhone 4S Shifts 4 Million Units In 3 Days
When people release sales figures, I often struggle to find perspective. Is it a success? Is this spin? But when you consider that sales of the iPhone 4S (four million units in three days) actually doubled sales of the iPhone 4 in a similar period — well, I think it’s safe to say things are pretty peachy for Apple.
“iPhone 4S is off to a great start with more than four million sold in its first weekend—the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days,” claimed Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “iPhone 4S is a hit with customers around the world, and together with iOS 5 and iCloud, is the best iPhone ever.”
I like the iPhone 4S, but after being constantly misunderstood by Siri, I wouldn’t recommend upgrading just for that feature. Then again, I am Scottish.
Still, it is a nice phone. And four million units is no joke.
“iPhone 4S is off to a great start with more than four million sold in its first weekend—the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days,” claimed Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “iPhone 4S is a hit with customers around the world, and together with iOS 5 and iCloud, is the best iPhone ever.”
I like the iPhone 4S, but after being constantly misunderstood by Siri, I wouldn’t recommend upgrading just for that feature. Then again, I am Scottish.
Still, it is a nice phone. And four million units is no joke.
So Many Batmen, So Many Batman Musical Themes
On the eve of the release of Batman: Arkham City (which the Kotaku staff gave a unanimous “yes” in last week’s gut check
), I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the various Batman themes we’ve had over the years, and see how the motifs and melodies that summon the caped crusader have changed over time.
Something I noticed, which I’ll come back to as we go, is how more than most superheroes, Batman has a “vibe” that almost all of his various music captures. Some combination of swelling pads, specific chord progressions, string patterns and brass, an agreed-upon template that Batman music must match. More than anything else, Batman music sounds like “Superhero Music”, more so perhaps than any of the themes given to other characters, even those with actual super powers.
Anyhow, let’s jump in.
), I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the various Batman themes we’ve had over the years, and see how the motifs and melodies that summon the caped crusader have changed over time.
Something I noticed, which I’ll come back to as we go, is how more than most superheroes, Batman has a “vibe” that almost all of his various music captures. Some combination of swelling pads, specific chord progressions, string patterns and brass, an agreed-upon template that Batman music must match. More than anything else, Batman music sounds like “Superhero Music”, more so perhaps than any of the themes given to other characters, even those with actual super powers.
Anyhow, let’s jump in.
This New Saints Row 3 Trailer Skewers Battlefield 3/Modern Warfare 3
Ah Saints Row – is there anything you won’t attempt to parody? This time round the po-faced style utilised in trailers for Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 is the target. Inside: a man in a pink cowboy hat pulling a rickshaw, a rabbit firing a rocket launcher, hoverbikes and a man getting hit in the testicles with a briefcase.
Thứ Hai, 24 tháng 10, 2011
Ask Me Stuff
You guys have any burning questions? About anything? This is Ask Me Stuff, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Leave me a question in the comments below and I’ll endeavour to answer it before the day is out.
Dragon Age: Redemption Episode 2 Is Ready For You To Watch
The second instalment of Felicia Day’s Dragon Age: Redemption six-episode web series is live. I missed the first, but this one’s solid. Fun characters. Reverent to the video game lore without being embarrassing.
If you want to watch in order, here’s the first episode.
Looks like we’re getting a duel in a later episode. And some magic. Good stuff.
If you want to watch in order, here’s the first episode.
Looks like we’re getting a duel in a later episode. And some magic. Good stuff.
Microsoft Takes A Shot At The Wii In New Dance Central 2 Ad
I’ve never totally gotten the appeal of Wii dancing games, though clearly there are a whole ton of Just Dance fans out there who disagree. This new ad for Harmonix’s just-released Dance Central 2 takes a humorous dig at Wii games and their obsolescence in the face of full motion-tracking.
Honestly, while truly compelling Kinect games are few and far between, watching this ad reinforces the fact that there is no greater hardware out there for dancing games. Though it must be said, when I play Dance Central 2, it’s less “cool, attractive dude and girl playing together” and more “goofy guy dancing around in his apartment by himself”. But the potential is there! Maybe I should invite more people over so that my own Dance Central 2 sessions begin to resemble the ones on the TV.
Honestly, while truly compelling Kinect games are few and far between, watching this ad reinforces the fact that there is no greater hardware out there for dancing games. Though it must be said, when I play Dance Central 2, it’s less “cool, attractive dude and girl playing together” and more “goofy guy dancing around in his apartment by himself”. But the potential is there! Maybe I should invite more people over so that my own Dance Central 2 sessions begin to resemble the ones on the TV.
Thứ Bảy, 22 tháng 10, 2011
N4G Legend of Martial Arts Beta Giveaway & Sweepstakes
N4G and Perfect World Entertainment have teamed up to bring you guys Beta keys for their upcoming MMO Legend of Martial Arts.
PWE has also kicked off a closed beta sweepstakes for Legend of Martial Arts that will run through until December 31, 2010. You guys have a chance to win 1 of 5 ASTRO Gaming A30 headsets (MSRP $129.95), in-game items, as well as an iBUYPOWER Chimera 2 desktop computer (MSRP $1,299.00). Players that redeem a closed beta key will be entered into the raffle sweepstakes with one additional entry (up to 2) for each friend who redeems a referral key for a chance to win 1 of 5 ASTRO Gaming A30 headsets (MSRP $129.95) as well as for the grand prize, 1 iBUYPOWER Chimera 2 desktop computer (MSRP $1,299.00). In addition, Perfect World Entertainment will be rewarding players with in-game items for open beta based on how many friends players refer.
1 Referral Key Redeemed = Celestial Dew for 10,000 years (Health Battery Item)
2 Referral Keys Redeemed = Holy Charm (1-Day Convenience Item)
To get your closed Beta key, just PM Cat ( http://n4g.com/user/home/ca... ). A beta key will be sent within 12 hours (worst case scenario ;) ) to your N4G PM inbox.
Instructions on How to Redeem
1. PM Catastrophe and get your key!
2. Go to www.perfectworld.com
3. Login using your Perfect World Entertainment username and password
4. Click on the "My Account" link
5. Click on "Redeem Beta Keys"
6. Enter your closed beta key
Closed Beta launches November 24, 2010 for North America and Europe.
Based on the popular Chinese TV drama, “My Own Swordsman,” Legend of Martial Arts is a light-hearted online adventure featuring unique character customization with a distinctive cartoon style set in a traditional Chinese background. Players can look forward to seeing slap stick humor throughout the 3D world as well as in quests that transcends cultural barriers.
PWE has also kicked off a closed beta sweepstakes for Legend of Martial Arts that will run through until December 31, 2010. You guys have a chance to win 1 of 5 ASTRO Gaming A30 headsets (MSRP $129.95), in-game items, as well as an iBUYPOWER Chimera 2 desktop computer (MSRP $1,299.00). Players that redeem a closed beta key will be entered into the raffle sweepstakes with one additional entry (up to 2) for each friend who redeems a referral key for a chance to win 1 of 5 ASTRO Gaming A30 headsets (MSRP $129.95) as well as for the grand prize, 1 iBUYPOWER Chimera 2 desktop computer (MSRP $1,299.00). In addition, Perfect World Entertainment will be rewarding players with in-game items for open beta based on how many friends players refer.
1 Referral Key Redeemed = Celestial Dew for 10,000 years (Health Battery Item)
2 Referral Keys Redeemed = Holy Charm (1-Day Convenience Item)
To get your closed Beta key, just PM Cat ( http://n4g.com/user/home/ca... ). A beta key will be sent within 12 hours (worst case scenario ;) ) to your N4G PM inbox.
Instructions on How to Redeem
1. PM Catastrophe and get your key!
2. Go to www.perfectworld.com
3. Login using your Perfect World Entertainment username and password
4. Click on the "My Account" link
5. Click on "Redeem Beta Keys"
6. Enter your closed beta key
Closed Beta launches November 24, 2010 for North America and Europe.
Based on the popular Chinese TV drama, “My Own Swordsman,” Legend of Martial Arts is a light-hearted online adventure featuring unique character customization with a distinctive cartoon style set in a traditional Chinese background. Players can look forward to seeing slap stick humor throughout the 3D world as well as in quests that transcends cultural barriers.
Critique of Killzone 3 Beta
First, I want to thank my friend Cloud_Fury for giving me the code. He generously gave it up for me to enjoy, and I really owe him for it. Thanks a lot bud!
Onto the impressions:
This is purely a list of critical complaints. It doesn’t mean I don’t like the game or enjoy aspects to it, but I won’t mention them because I won’t be saying anything new that everybody else has already said.
I will not be mentioning graphical bugs, or anything that can be fixed with basic polish. This is, for the most part, about the core gameplay.
This is a first-impressions, I've only played for around 3-4 hours so far. The following is a combination of experience and what I've seen in videos.
This is a quick look, I haven’t prepared anything or proofread so forgive me if I say something difficult to understand.
So immediately it’s the controls you will notice, and a lot like K2’s controls this is going to be controversial. However this time, it’s going to be the K2 fans complaining, not the labeled “COD” fans.
And indeed it’s a stark contrast. While K2 was slow, sluggish, and heavy, K3 is light, fast, and floaty. It’s got a more “BC2” feel than a “COD” feel, but it’s definitely not unique. And while I was critical of the unresponsiveness of K2, I was more than satisfied with the post-release patch they did. Now the controls are even sharper, and the missing feeling here Is that “meaty”, heavy feel. And I actually miss it.
Part of this is due to recoil. When firing a gun you have that gritty feeling Killzone is known for—the M82 actually sounds more like a drummer drumming than the firecracker sound in Killzone 2, and putting bullets into enemies is just as satisfying with the gorgeous blood and hit detection animations. But while all this is fine, the actual satisfaction of killing enemies is diminished. It’s hard to explain, but to pin the tail, it’s really easy to get kills. The lack of recoil makes it easy to rack up lightning quick double and triple kills. And part of the fun of shooting in Killzone 2 was feeling that kick in your gun. In Killzone 3 it's gone. The floaty feeling and the lack of recoil make the feeling fall flat from Killzone 2.
Along with this is a lower base health making killing much reckless. The COD comparisons are imminent. And sadly K3 feels more like a BC2/COD hybrid in terms of gameplay than it does K2.
I honestly don’t mind the sharper controls. Killzone purists on the other hand are already up in arms about Killzone 3’s “lack of identity”
But if I were to complain about controls then I definitely will have to agree that recoil and damage need a buff.
The real issue here is the LMG. This is by far the most versatile gun. It’s pretty much a sniper at mid-long range and can mow down any enemy with ease. The lack of recoil is disturbing and it’s entirely possible to go full-auto and expect to get kills from good distances. Reckless behavior is essentially rewarded and this ought to be fixed. Expect to drop within a blink of an eye from more than snipers when you are in an open field.
In fact, headshots in general are undermined. Whilst in K2 body shots had you putting an entire clip into an enemy, body shots in K3 put an enemy down fairly fast. SMGs do a fair job as the standard gun. Low recoil compared with the fact that this can actually get decent kills at even long-mid range makes the SMG a weapon that is all too commonly used on the battlefield. It’s the “standard” weapon for all classes but it’s a little too strong for my liking.
Again, a good boost in health should solve this.
Then there is the sniper rifle. Once again a single registered shot, from what I’ve experienced, rewards you with a kill. And while this was fine in Killzone 2’s more control-challenging game, it’s way too overpowered in K3. The responsiveness of the controls makes it all too easy to stay at a distance and pick off players. Again, it’s a case of rewarding impatience and recklessness. One Hit Kills should go towards headshots, but I shouldn’t be rewarded a kill if I should at a limb (if my experiences were wrong please correct me about this conclusion).
I also fear that the sniper is a little too anti-teamwork this time around and while the spot ability contributed to the team in K2, the marksman in K3 really doesn’t mark anything or do anything for the team, save for Bodycount matches. This is really a matter of how the community uses the marksman. Hopefully the class is not treated as it was in Bad Company 2.
I’m still debating whether the removal of the spot ability from this class was a good idea. It makes sense to give it to the marksman class but at the same time the class already has a mega-advantage with the one-hit-kill sniper.
Speaking of classes, the poor tactitian has been dumbed down for the sake of gameplay sanity.
Killzone 2’s spawn grenading was a genuinely great concept marred by a ridiculously stupid community. And since it was evident that the community never learned how to use the damned thing, the spawn system has been completely changed. It’s a sad sacrifice that removes the tactical potential Killzone 2 offered the class, but the chaos it brought was the double edged sword of this class. The pros were outweighed by the cons.
But now there is yet another potential issue. While the new spawn system guarantees less chaos, it’s actually become too quiet. What you can experience in Warzone is a wave of contrasting pacing.
This is especially evident in Search and Destroy which has become impossible to win. It's a difficult mode by design that requires teamwork. Unfortunately the game is played in a disjointed manner (part of this due to the party system which I will explain later).
In K2 the solution was simple: throw spawn grenades and hope that your team outspammed the chaos against 31 other players in a room.
In K3 the removal of the spawn grenades scatters teammates across the map.
Since you spawn so far away it’s too easy for the enemy to pick off the lone troopers trying to plant the bombs. Partly to blame is the placement of objectives. The objectives are way too close to each other. What results is all members of the defending team hanging around the objective area, patrolling the bomb site with ease.
Compare this to Demolitions in Call of Duty where the advantage for the offense team comes out of the lack of defense. In K3, defense can be airtight and impossible to penetrate because of the spawn system.
Way too often cloaked snipers hide and wait the few players who attempt to plant the bomb. The rest of the team is either running towards the objective or doing something else.
The potential for spawn-camping is also evident. In one match, our team kept getting blasted by a spamming exo-skeleton who would spam rockets and shoot our exit. I also want to mention that you spawn exactly at the same spot every time in your captured spawn point.
At the same time a spawn point is meant to be captured by enemy teams, so I don’t necessarily mind it. So long as there are multiple exits then it ought not to be bad. There is however the issue that if one team manages to capture all the spawn points, the enemy team will get dominated. I suppose this can be blamed on the team just being inferior. So while the new spawn system has its drawbacks, the importance of the tactitian is still vital to a good turnaround.
Then there is the new squad system, which by the way has a counter-intuitive invite system now. Everybody spawns with no squadmates (unless you create a party), and people who actually bother have to go through the process of getting taken out of the action to send PSN invites to people on his team. It’s slow, can't be done pre-game, and people don't bother with it. I personally invited all members of my team and we had a pretty sizable squad, which should offset the spawn system in Killzone 3 that slows down modes like S&D.
Two other things: In-game ribbons and “Special Abilities”.
In-game ribbons are different this time around. It seems that for achieving the requirements for a ribbon you actually get a bonus for that game you are in. For example, do the right thing to earn a "Faster reload" ribbon and you can actually reload faster for the remainder of the game. Consider it like perks you have to earn.
By any mid-game you should have silent footsteps, bullet damage, faster aim, better hip fire, etc.
I’m not sure how I feel about this system. I also don’t like the idea of extra bullet damage or the idea of having these sorts of advantages over others. Some ribbons like Silent footsteps seems like it has no real purpose, while others like extra bullet damage seem to overdo the already high damage you can do. Granted this is a unique take on it, but I am not exactly sure how beneficial they are.
And as for special abilities, they feel a little misplaced. Essentially they are a very small list of perks that you can spawn with, as opposed to the ones you earn in-game. Included are extra health, extra armor (I cant tell the difference between these two), extra ammo, two primary weapons, etc.
They feel a little tacked on and when you consider the in-game ribbons you really get this sense that by the end of a game some players will be intrinsically more powerful than others.
From experience I’m not sure if these are exactly that noticeable on the battlefield. However something like extra damage ribbons are something I’ll be looking out for.
It's worthy to point out that there is an evident choppiness to the gameplay. It's not lag (as tested against bot games), it's just that the framerate is a little choppy. Rest assured that this is because it's Alpha code as Killzone 2 was much smoother.
Brutal melee is the final big change, and while it's really cool to do, there are three concerns:
a) It's automatic, meaning you can't decide when to do the brutal melee. The issue here is that you could be wanting to get a quick melee and instead you could end up doing a flashy kill taking up valuable time, in which time you could easily get noticed and killed
b) Melees have a lunge/hit detection problem. Sometimes I wont be anywhere near making contact but I'll get a melee kill
c) It's one-hit kill. I'd much prefer if basic melees did damage while brutal melee did instant-kill. That way you'd get rewarded for doing a brutal melee instead of trying to just look cool.
And then there are the jetpacks. While incredibly fun, the jetpacks have a very limited fly-time. It's most like an attachable jump pad from what I've used. I wouldn't mind if the fly-time was extended. Maybe you can fly higher in mid-after after your initial thrusters deplete, but I haven't tried this and doubt this is possible. I will continue using them, perhaps I didn't fully grasp how to use them.
One final complaint: I hate the black and white draining when you lose health. It really is distracting, as worse as the “red jelly” in Modern Warfare 2. When you combine how fast your health can drop you essentially are even more disadvantaged to fight back because you become so disoriented by the blending in of the environment that you pretty much either run and fire like an idiot or accept that you will die. I feel that it should be removed.
In summary, Killzone 3 is far different from Killzone 2. Purists may be upset, and it’s evident that though it looks like Killzone, it doesn’t feel like the Killzone you may have adapted to. Some people criticize GG for caving in to COD fanboys, others praise the new changes, and yet others are bargaining for a more balanced compensation. I feel that while Guerilla Games had a few flaws with the controls in K2, they went a little too far out this time. While Guerilla Games may stand their ground with the new approach, there is nothing too wrong with the gameplay—it’s still fun—but don’t expect to be comfortable if you are a Killzone 2 veteran. You may either end up adapting to this new style or resenting Guerilla Games for feeling too similar to other shooters. Personally, I’m hoping Guerilla Games can make some significant adjustments
Onto the impressions:
This is purely a list of critical complaints. It doesn’t mean I don’t like the game or enjoy aspects to it, but I won’t mention them because I won’t be saying anything new that everybody else has already said.
I will not be mentioning graphical bugs, or anything that can be fixed with basic polish. This is, for the most part, about the core gameplay.
This is a first-impressions, I've only played for around 3-4 hours so far. The following is a combination of experience and what I've seen in videos.
This is a quick look, I haven’t prepared anything or proofread so forgive me if I say something difficult to understand.
So immediately it’s the controls you will notice, and a lot like K2’s controls this is going to be controversial. However this time, it’s going to be the K2 fans complaining, not the labeled “COD” fans.
And indeed it’s a stark contrast. While K2 was slow, sluggish, and heavy, K3 is light, fast, and floaty. It’s got a more “BC2” feel than a “COD” feel, but it’s definitely not unique. And while I was critical of the unresponsiveness of K2, I was more than satisfied with the post-release patch they did. Now the controls are even sharper, and the missing feeling here Is that “meaty”, heavy feel. And I actually miss it.
Part of this is due to recoil. When firing a gun you have that gritty feeling Killzone is known for—the M82 actually sounds more like a drummer drumming than the firecracker sound in Killzone 2, and putting bullets into enemies is just as satisfying with the gorgeous blood and hit detection animations. But while all this is fine, the actual satisfaction of killing enemies is diminished. It’s hard to explain, but to pin the tail, it’s really easy to get kills. The lack of recoil makes it easy to rack up lightning quick double and triple kills. And part of the fun of shooting in Killzone 2 was feeling that kick in your gun. In Killzone 3 it's gone. The floaty feeling and the lack of recoil make the feeling fall flat from Killzone 2.
Along with this is a lower base health making killing much reckless. The COD comparisons are imminent. And sadly K3 feels more like a BC2/COD hybrid in terms of gameplay than it does K2.
I honestly don’t mind the sharper controls. Killzone purists on the other hand are already up in arms about Killzone 3’s “lack of identity”
But if I were to complain about controls then I definitely will have to agree that recoil and damage need a buff.
The real issue here is the LMG. This is by far the most versatile gun. It’s pretty much a sniper at mid-long range and can mow down any enemy with ease. The lack of recoil is disturbing and it’s entirely possible to go full-auto and expect to get kills from good distances. Reckless behavior is essentially rewarded and this ought to be fixed. Expect to drop within a blink of an eye from more than snipers when you are in an open field.
In fact, headshots in general are undermined. Whilst in K2 body shots had you putting an entire clip into an enemy, body shots in K3 put an enemy down fairly fast. SMGs do a fair job as the standard gun. Low recoil compared with the fact that this can actually get decent kills at even long-mid range makes the SMG a weapon that is all too commonly used on the battlefield. It’s the “standard” weapon for all classes but it’s a little too strong for my liking.
Again, a good boost in health should solve this.
Then there is the sniper rifle. Once again a single registered shot, from what I’ve experienced, rewards you with a kill. And while this was fine in Killzone 2’s more control-challenging game, it’s way too overpowered in K3. The responsiveness of the controls makes it all too easy to stay at a distance and pick off players. Again, it’s a case of rewarding impatience and recklessness. One Hit Kills should go towards headshots, but I shouldn’t be rewarded a kill if I should at a limb (if my experiences were wrong please correct me about this conclusion).
I also fear that the sniper is a little too anti-teamwork this time around and while the spot ability contributed to the team in K2, the marksman in K3 really doesn’t mark anything or do anything for the team, save for Bodycount matches. This is really a matter of how the community uses the marksman. Hopefully the class is not treated as it was in Bad Company 2.
I’m still debating whether the removal of the spot ability from this class was a good idea. It makes sense to give it to the marksman class but at the same time the class already has a mega-advantage with the one-hit-kill sniper.
Speaking of classes, the poor tactitian has been dumbed down for the sake of gameplay sanity.
Killzone 2’s spawn grenading was a genuinely great concept marred by a ridiculously stupid community. And since it was evident that the community never learned how to use the damned thing, the spawn system has been completely changed. It’s a sad sacrifice that removes the tactical potential Killzone 2 offered the class, but the chaos it brought was the double edged sword of this class. The pros were outweighed by the cons.
But now there is yet another potential issue. While the new spawn system guarantees less chaos, it’s actually become too quiet. What you can experience in Warzone is a wave of contrasting pacing.
This is especially evident in Search and Destroy which has become impossible to win. It's a difficult mode by design that requires teamwork. Unfortunately the game is played in a disjointed manner (part of this due to the party system which I will explain later).
In K2 the solution was simple: throw spawn grenades and hope that your team outspammed the chaos against 31 other players in a room.
In K3 the removal of the spawn grenades scatters teammates across the map.
Since you spawn so far away it’s too easy for the enemy to pick off the lone troopers trying to plant the bombs. Partly to blame is the placement of objectives. The objectives are way too close to each other. What results is all members of the defending team hanging around the objective area, patrolling the bomb site with ease.
Compare this to Demolitions in Call of Duty where the advantage for the offense team comes out of the lack of defense. In K3, defense can be airtight and impossible to penetrate because of the spawn system.
Way too often cloaked snipers hide and wait the few players who attempt to plant the bomb. The rest of the team is either running towards the objective or doing something else.
The potential for spawn-camping is also evident. In one match, our team kept getting blasted by a spamming exo-skeleton who would spam rockets and shoot our exit. I also want to mention that you spawn exactly at the same spot every time in your captured spawn point.
At the same time a spawn point is meant to be captured by enemy teams, so I don’t necessarily mind it. So long as there are multiple exits then it ought not to be bad. There is however the issue that if one team manages to capture all the spawn points, the enemy team will get dominated. I suppose this can be blamed on the team just being inferior. So while the new spawn system has its drawbacks, the importance of the tactitian is still vital to a good turnaround.
Then there is the new squad system, which by the way has a counter-intuitive invite system now. Everybody spawns with no squadmates (unless you create a party), and people who actually bother have to go through the process of getting taken out of the action to send PSN invites to people on his team. It’s slow, can't be done pre-game, and people don't bother with it. I personally invited all members of my team and we had a pretty sizable squad, which should offset the spawn system in Killzone 3 that slows down modes like S&D.
Two other things: In-game ribbons and “Special Abilities”.
In-game ribbons are different this time around. It seems that for achieving the requirements for a ribbon you actually get a bonus for that game you are in. For example, do the right thing to earn a "Faster reload" ribbon and you can actually reload faster for the remainder of the game. Consider it like perks you have to earn.
By any mid-game you should have silent footsteps, bullet damage, faster aim, better hip fire, etc.
I’m not sure how I feel about this system. I also don’t like the idea of extra bullet damage or the idea of having these sorts of advantages over others. Some ribbons like Silent footsteps seems like it has no real purpose, while others like extra bullet damage seem to overdo the already high damage you can do. Granted this is a unique take on it, but I am not exactly sure how beneficial they are.
And as for special abilities, they feel a little misplaced. Essentially they are a very small list of perks that you can spawn with, as opposed to the ones you earn in-game. Included are extra health, extra armor (I cant tell the difference between these two), extra ammo, two primary weapons, etc.
They feel a little tacked on and when you consider the in-game ribbons you really get this sense that by the end of a game some players will be intrinsically more powerful than others.
From experience I’m not sure if these are exactly that noticeable on the battlefield. However something like extra damage ribbons are something I’ll be looking out for.
It's worthy to point out that there is an evident choppiness to the gameplay. It's not lag (as tested against bot games), it's just that the framerate is a little choppy. Rest assured that this is because it's Alpha code as Killzone 2 was much smoother.
Brutal melee is the final big change, and while it's really cool to do, there are three concerns:
a) It's automatic, meaning you can't decide when to do the brutal melee. The issue here is that you could be wanting to get a quick melee and instead you could end up doing a flashy kill taking up valuable time, in which time you could easily get noticed and killed
b) Melees have a lunge/hit detection problem. Sometimes I wont be anywhere near making contact but I'll get a melee kill
c) It's one-hit kill. I'd much prefer if basic melees did damage while brutal melee did instant-kill. That way you'd get rewarded for doing a brutal melee instead of trying to just look cool.
And then there are the jetpacks. While incredibly fun, the jetpacks have a very limited fly-time. It's most like an attachable jump pad from what I've used. I wouldn't mind if the fly-time was extended. Maybe you can fly higher in mid-after after your initial thrusters deplete, but I haven't tried this and doubt this is possible. I will continue using them, perhaps I didn't fully grasp how to use them.
One final complaint: I hate the black and white draining when you lose health. It really is distracting, as worse as the “red jelly” in Modern Warfare 2. When you combine how fast your health can drop you essentially are even more disadvantaged to fight back because you become so disoriented by the blending in of the environment that you pretty much either run and fire like an idiot or accept that you will die. I feel that it should be removed.
In summary, Killzone 3 is far different from Killzone 2. Purists may be upset, and it’s evident that though it looks like Killzone, it doesn’t feel like the Killzone you may have adapted to. Some people criticize GG for caving in to COD fanboys, others praise the new changes, and yet others are bargaining for a more balanced compensation. I feel that while Guerilla Games had a few flaws with the controls in K2, they went a little too far out this time. While Guerilla Games may stand their ground with the new approach, there is nothing too wrong with the gameplay—it’s still fun—but don’t expect to be comfortable if you are a Killzone 2 veteran. You may either end up adapting to this new style or resenting Guerilla Games for feeling too similar to other shooters. Personally, I’m hoping Guerilla Games can make some significant adjustments
Thứ Sáu, 21 tháng 10, 2011
Your rights as a console owner
Not exactly sure if this is the proper place to put this, and I hope this won't be seen as advertising because I just want to make sure that anyone that needs to know or that might need to know this information in any future time does so.
Recently my PS3, which was an original 60GB, broke down on me due to YLOD. I've had numerous friends with the issue and have known many friends over the net that have had the same problem. A lot of those know their stuff about handyworks and about DIY and have fixed their PS3s with their own work and a number of items. It's all down to how the PS3 (or at least the older versions) are put together and how poorly they are done so.
But I'm not much of a handyman myself and didn't want to take up the job myself incase I ended up worsening the console in trying to fix it. I contacted the store I bought it in, and brought my receipt along with me even if the purchase was over 3 years ago and asked my rights. They immediately, with a suspicious and quite ridiculous speed I might say, told me about only having a 1 year warranty and warned me off to Sony, saying they had no business with any of Sony's "deals" which they made for people that have had this problem with their PS3s beaking down.
I contacted Sony who were also very quick to note that I had nothing to cover myself in regards to monetary value. Sony said that I could either go straight to them, or to a local store and pay them €160 to have my PS3 "fixed", which would never actually be fixed, but would instead be taken in, and I would be given a "newerW 60GB model with "newer better parts". Along with this I would be given a pretty poor and pathetic 3-month warranty.
I was annoyed and irritated because I thought I was getting ripped off. I had paid €600 for this console just 3 years ago and it had never lived up to what it was supposed to with all of the freezes, disconnections of necessary accessories and other problems, and didn't even last a decent amount of time, especially when you think of the price. It's clearly faulty, everyone knows of the problems particularly with the PS3 early versions and having your console shut down mid-game, and in the process getting your game-disk stuck in the console. So I had a look about on websites for my national consumer agency and asked around about my rights as a consumer and if I should be covered in this case. I came upon some EU legislation that noted something very similar to what we in Ireland have (and what the UK have) called the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, which states a number of things in regards to your rights as a consumer, the main ones which related to this case were as follows:
"Consumer goods must be in conformity with the contract of sale.
(they are in conformity if):
* they comply with the description given by the seller and possess the qualities of the product which the seller has held out to the consumer as a sample or model;
* they are fit for the purposes for which goods of the same type are normally used;
* they are fit for any particular purpose for which the consumer requires them and which was made known to the seller at the time of conclusion of the contract, and accepted by the seller;
* their quality and performance are satisfactory, given the nature of the goods and taking into account the public statements made about them by the seller, the producer or his representative."
Recently my PS3, which was an original 60GB, broke down on me due to YLOD. I've had numerous friends with the issue and have known many friends over the net that have had the same problem. A lot of those know their stuff about handyworks and about DIY and have fixed their PS3s with their own work and a number of items. It's all down to how the PS3 (or at least the older versions) are put together and how poorly they are done so.
But I'm not much of a handyman myself and didn't want to take up the job myself incase I ended up worsening the console in trying to fix it. I contacted the store I bought it in, and brought my receipt along with me even if the purchase was over 3 years ago and asked my rights. They immediately, with a suspicious and quite ridiculous speed I might say, told me about only having a 1 year warranty and warned me off to Sony, saying they had no business with any of Sony's "deals" which they made for people that have had this problem with their PS3s beaking down.
I contacted Sony who were also very quick to note that I had nothing to cover myself in regards to monetary value. Sony said that I could either go straight to them, or to a local store and pay them €160 to have my PS3 "fixed", which would never actually be fixed, but would instead be taken in, and I would be given a "newerW 60GB model with "newer better parts". Along with this I would be given a pretty poor and pathetic 3-month warranty.
I was annoyed and irritated because I thought I was getting ripped off. I had paid €600 for this console just 3 years ago and it had never lived up to what it was supposed to with all of the freezes, disconnections of necessary accessories and other problems, and didn't even last a decent amount of time, especially when you think of the price. It's clearly faulty, everyone knows of the problems particularly with the PS3 early versions and having your console shut down mid-game, and in the process getting your game-disk stuck in the console. So I had a look about on websites for my national consumer agency and asked around about my rights as a consumer and if I should be covered in this case. I came upon some EU legislation that noted something very similar to what we in Ireland have (and what the UK have) called the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, which states a number of things in regards to your rights as a consumer, the main ones which related to this case were as follows:
"Consumer goods must be in conformity with the contract of sale.
(they are in conformity if):
* they comply with the description given by the seller and possess the qualities of the product which the seller has held out to the consumer as a sample or model;
* they are fit for the purposes for which goods of the same type are normally used;
* they are fit for any particular purpose for which the consumer requires them and which was made known to the seller at the time of conclusion of the contract, and accepted by the seller;
* their quality and performance are satisfactory, given the nature of the goods and taking into account the public statements made about them by the seller, the producer or his representative."
Disney XD Games
Disney Friends for Change Games
To support the “Disney Friends for Change Games” on Disney Channel and Disney XD, Disneychannelgames.biz has launched an online destination at Disneyxd.biz, where kids and families can take part in the Games from home and help the planet — by making personal pledges of their own, playing online versions of the Games, and making art that matters! When kids play online versions of the Games at Disneyxd.biz, they can donate the points they earn to one of the four charities involved. At the end of the Games, the charity with the most points given by the Disney.com online community will receive $100K.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
In addition to playing online games for charity, kids can view exclusive video content and participate in a number of funonline activities. Kids can create online art on the Friends for Change Group Wall at Disneyxd.biz, where they can see the transformative power of friends everywhere pitching in to make a difference. The Disneyxd.biz site will also feature exclusive videos from the “Disney Friends for Change Games,” including a special wrap-up show hosted by Tiffany Thorntonand Jason Earles. Kids can also download the official 2011 Friends for Change anthem “We Can Change the World” featuring Bridgit Mendler on Disneyxd.biz
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
Over 30 Disney Channel Games and Disney XD Games stars from around the globe will compete in “Disney Friends for Change Games.” Four teams will play on behalf of a global charity — Fauna and Flora International, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Conservancy and UNICEF. For five weeks beginning Friday, June 24, Disney Channelwill present “Disney Friends for Change Games” in interstitials during its Friday, Saturday and Sunday primetime original series programming, and Disney XD will present a special episode from the games Monday nights beginning June 27 (9:30 p.m., ET/PT). The Games will culminate with a special half-hour episode Sunday, July 31 on Disney Channel.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
About Disney’s Friends for Change
Disney’s Friends for Change is a multi-platform initiative that helps inspire kids and families to join together and make a positive impact on their world (and the people and animals that live there). Through PSAs on-air and online tool-kits, the program aims to provide useful information to help kids make small changes that add up to big differences. As part of the program, Disney donates $1 million dollars annually to fund projects all around the globe and has funded over 41 projects that help the planet ranging from educational & community programs to species & habitat protection. Friends for Change currently has over 4 million actions taking place from kids in 33 countries throughoutthe United States, Europe, Latin America, Japan, India and China. For more information, please visit Disneyxd.biz.
- Disney XD gets its game on
Astral-owned Disney XD Canada is delving deeper into the gaming space in a month-long promotion that will see the multi-platform brand take viewers behind the scenes of June’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), offer up two new games on DisneyXD.biz every week and give away five video game consoles to Disney XD viewers.
The Level Up contest runs through the month of September and is set to feature the star of What’s, Up Warthogs!, Eduard Witzke, reporting from this year’s E3 in eight short interstitial reports entitled Ed’s E3. New episodes of Ed’s E3 will premiere every Tuesday and Thursday from September 1 and will air throughout the Disney XD schedule. Additionally, a weekly entry word will appear in each episode, which can be used to enter the Level Up contest online to win one of five game consoles.
On top of entering the Level Up contest on DisneyXD.ca, viewers can explore a dedicated minisite to re-watch episodes of Ed’s E3 as well as test their skills on brand-new Disney XD games. Two new games will be unveiled each week with a bonus game available for those who can work out the special DisneyXD.biz game code.
To support the “Disney Friends for Change Games” on Disney Channel and Disney XD, Disneychannelgames.biz has launched an online destination at Disneyxd.biz, where kids and families can take part in the Games from home and help the planet — by making personal pledges of their own, playing online versions of the Games, and making art that matters! When kids play online versions of the Games at Disneyxd.biz, they can donate the points they earn to one of the four charities involved. At the end of the Games, the charity with the most points given by the Disney.com online community will receive $100K.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
In addition to playing online games for charity, kids can view exclusive video content and participate in a number of funonline activities. Kids can create online art on the Friends for Change Group Wall at Disneyxd.biz, where they can see the transformative power of friends everywhere pitching in to make a difference. The Disneyxd.biz site will also feature exclusive videos from the “Disney Friends for Change Games,” including a special wrap-up show hosted by Tiffany Thorntonand Jason Earles. Kids can also download the official 2011 Friends for Change anthem “We Can Change the World” featuring Bridgit Mendler on Disneyxd.biz
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
Over 30 Disney Channel Games and Disney XD Games stars from around the globe will compete in “Disney Friends for Change Games.” Four teams will play on behalf of a global charity — Fauna and Flora International, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Conservancy and UNICEF. For five weeks beginning Friday, June 24, Disney Channelwill present “Disney Friends for Change Games” in interstitials during its Friday, Saturday and Sunday primetime original series programming, and Disney XD will present a special episode from the games Monday nights beginning June 27 (9:30 p.m., ET/PT). The Games will culminate with a special half-hour episode Sunday, July 31 on Disney Channel.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
About Disney’s Friends for Change
Disney’s Friends for Change is a multi-platform initiative that helps inspire kids and families to join together and make a positive impact on their world (and the people and animals that live there). Through PSAs on-air and online tool-kits, the program aims to provide useful information to help kids make small changes that add up to big differences. As part of the program, Disney donates $1 million dollars annually to fund projects all around the globe and has funded over 41 projects that help the planet ranging from educational & community programs to species & habitat protection. Friends for Change currently has over 4 million actions taking place from kids in 33 countries throughoutthe United States, Europe, Latin America, Japan, India and China. For more information, please visit Disneyxd.biz.
- Disney XD gets its game on
Astral-owned Disney XD Canada is delving deeper into the gaming space in a month-long promotion that will see the multi-platform brand take viewers behind the scenes of June’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), offer up two new games on DisneyXD.biz every week and give away five video game consoles to Disney XD viewers.
The Level Up contest runs through the month of September and is set to feature the star of What’s, Up Warthogs!, Eduard Witzke, reporting from this year’s E3 in eight short interstitial reports entitled Ed’s E3. New episodes of Ed’s E3 will premiere every Tuesday and Thursday from September 1 and will air throughout the Disney XD schedule. Additionally, a weekly entry word will appear in each episode, which can be used to enter the Level Up contest online to win one of five game consoles.
On top of entering the Level Up contest on DisneyXD.ca, viewers can explore a dedicated minisite to re-watch episodes of Ed’s E3 as well as test their skills on brand-new Disney XD games. Two new games will be unveiled each week with a bonus game available for those who can work out the special DisneyXD.biz game code.
Disney XD News
DISNEY XD TO PREMIERE “FORT BOYARD – ULTIMATE CHALLENGE,” A REALITY ADVENTURE SERIES ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 17
Geno Segers (Disney XD’s “Pair of Kings”) and popular British television presenter Laura Hamilton (“Dancing On Ice”) host an exciting competition requiring brainpower, courage and teamwork, “Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge,” a 10-part series premiering MONDAY, OCTOBER 17 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET/PT), with a thrilling finale MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. Based on the international game show phenomenon “Fort Boyard,” the series is set in a 19th century sea fort off the coast of France. It introduces six teams — 24 teens from the United States and the United Kingdom — who team up for a tournament where only one team will ultimately get the key to unlock the historic fort’s hidden treasures and win the honor of calling themselves “the conquerors of Fort Boyard.”
The reality adventure series marks the first kids’ version of the popular game show which premiered more than 20 years ago and has since been produced in over 38 countries worldwide.
In the premiere episode, team members from the Red Vipers and Yellow Scorpions compete in the first round of challenges to find out which team has what it takes to move on to become the conquerors of the fort.
“Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge” is produced by Zodiak Media Group’s production companies The Foundation and Adventure Line Productions, who created the concept for the original “Fort Boyard” and have been producing the series for 22 years.
The executive producers are Nigel Pickard and Ged Allen for The Foundation, Pierre Godde for Adventure Line Productions and Jamila Metran for CiTV. The producer is Steve Pinhay.
The series will be televised on Disney XD cable and satellite channels around the world (excluding France and the Nordics) and CiTV in the UK.
About “Fort Boyard”
“Fort Boyard” is the most successful adventure game show in the world, having sold to over 30 territories, while dominating France 2′s primetime summer schedule every year since 1990. The action takes place in an imposing fortress built in the middle of the ocean. This provides the perfect backdrop for strenuous, against-the-clock physical challenges and mind-boggling riddles, featuring strange characters and fearsome animals. All this and more awaits those attempting to reach the Treasure Room! Only the fittest and most intelligent contestants can hope to conquer Fort Boyard.
About Disney XD:
Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for Kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. Disney XD branded content spans television, online, mobile and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and short-form, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches over 78 million households via its basic cable and satellite affiliates. There are 22 other Disney XD Games channels around the world.
Geno Segers (Disney XD’s “Pair of Kings”) and popular British television presenter Laura Hamilton (“Dancing On Ice”) host an exciting competition requiring brainpower, courage and teamwork, “Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge,” a 10-part series premiering MONDAY, OCTOBER 17 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET/PT), with a thrilling finale MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. Based on the international game show phenomenon “Fort Boyard,” the series is set in a 19th century sea fort off the coast of France. It introduces six teams — 24 teens from the United States and the United Kingdom — who team up for a tournament where only one team will ultimately get the key to unlock the historic fort’s hidden treasures and win the honor of calling themselves “the conquerors of Fort Boyard.”
The reality adventure series marks the first kids’ version of the popular game show which premiered more than 20 years ago and has since been produced in over 38 countries worldwide.
In the premiere episode, team members from the Red Vipers and Yellow Scorpions compete in the first round of challenges to find out which team has what it takes to move on to become the conquerors of the fort.
“Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge” is produced by Zodiak Media Group’s production companies The Foundation and Adventure Line Productions, who created the concept for the original “Fort Boyard” and have been producing the series for 22 years.
The executive producers are Nigel Pickard and Ged Allen for The Foundation, Pierre Godde for Adventure Line Productions and Jamila Metran for CiTV. The producer is Steve Pinhay.
The series will be televised on Disney XD cable and satellite channels around the world (excluding France and the Nordics) and CiTV in the UK.
About “Fort Boyard”
“Fort Boyard” is the most successful adventure game show in the world, having sold to over 30 territories, while dominating France 2′s primetime summer schedule every year since 1990. The action takes place in an imposing fortress built in the middle of the ocean. This provides the perfect backdrop for strenuous, against-the-clock physical challenges and mind-boggling riddles, featuring strange characters and fearsome animals. All this and more awaits those attempting to reach the Treasure Room! Only the fittest and most intelligent contestants can hope to conquer Fort Boyard.
About Disney XD:
Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for Kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. Disney XD branded content spans television, online, mobile and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and short-form, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches over 78 million households via its basic cable and satellite affiliates. There are 22 other Disney XD Games channels around the world.
Thứ Năm, 20 tháng 10, 2011
Mirrors Edge Cancellation
It is sad to see this innovative game (at the time) not get a second chance. The sales may have been poor the first time around but what a game! It definitely was not my top pick of the year but after being hooked on it for a few weeks I realized how there were no other games out there like it. Yes the word "innovative" got tossed around a lot (see above). But it seems like there are just so many sequels out there. And if a new game isn't a sequel then its a virtual copy of another title. I mean how many 3rd person or 1st person copycat shooters can we handle? Mirrors Edge was definitely not a copy, but a reinvention of the first person genre. So maybe it's sequel would have been a copy. So maybe it is a good thing that it got canned. I hope that Press 2 Play is working on another game that is unlike anything we have seen before. Yes there is risk in a game like this. But doesn't EA have the money to at least try? The only radically different games ive seen recently have been in indie and arcade games. The development cycle is shorter and the cost is much less. But seriously, every major title coming out this fall is a sequel. Lets try something new, please?
Slam Bolt Scrappers Interview with Eitan Glinert
I asked Eitan Glinert, Fire Hose Games' very own Fire Chief, a series of brain melting questions. Fueled by Cheerios and Everclear, Eitan survived to tell us why FHG work with SOE, what he thinks about game demos, what he dislikes about motion control - and even reveals two additional character names for the first time!
CS: Can you talk a little bit about the Fire Hose Games beginnings? Give us an origin story!
EG: We were just a bunch of normal nerds until we were bitten by a radioactive spider, exposed to gamma radiation, and had our parents brutally murdered in front of us. It was a pretty crazy day! At that point we developed superpowers and started making video games in a misguided effort to fight crime. That was back in 2008, and we've been going ever since! Beforehand I was a graduate student at MIT doing research on how to make video games more accessible, and before that I was making an educational video game that taught immunology to high school students. Fun stuff!
CS: Advice for anyone thinking of opening their own studio?
EG: Oh man, where to start? Here's a few pointers: have at least one person on the team with 3+ years experience making games commercially, have one person on the team dedicated to finding money, make friends with lots of game developers smarter than you and lean on them heavily for advice, and don't be afraid to ask others for help. Oh, and you should make a game too. That would be helpful.
CS: For those that haven’t read my super awesome preview from PAX Prime, can you talk a little bit about Slam Bolt Scrappers' premise and gameplay?
EG: Sure! SBS is a unique multiplayer mash up of building and brawling.
Either watch the video below, or read this:
Basically you fly around and get colored blocks by beating up these charming little baddies. Once you've got a few colored blocks you can build with them in your tower, with your goal being to build big squares of the same color. Build big squares causes weapons to grow on your tower, with bigger squares leading to bigger weapons. The weapons then fight along side you, targeting baddies, other players, and of course the enemy's tower. The towers fight, and the last tower standing wins! The game is VERY fast paced and hectic, as you're trying to quickly fight other players and baddies while simultaneously build up these giant towers of destruction. Luckily we've added a bunch of power ups to help you along the way. If you like multiplayer party, fighting, or building games you are really going to love this!
CS: And what was it like coming up with Slam Bolt Scrappers as a game, which ideas ended up on the “reject” pile?
EG: It was nuts. The game that players will actually get is the 5th (!!!) version of the game; versions 1-4 didn't make the cut. We spent a full year prototyping before coming up with this final design. Here's a partial list of some of the features and ideas that got the ax on the path to release:
- Growing plants on your tower
- Building with bizarrely shaped tangram blocks
- Electrocuting baddies with live power lines and batting them away with steel I-beams
- Plugging up holes on a giant dam about to collapse
- And punching T-Rex from Dinosaur Comics, by Ryan North. Yes, that was actually in our game once upon a time.
Don't worry though - the version of the game you see now is WAAAAY better than the older versions. Once the game is out we'll probably put up some screenshots or video from the old versions and you'll understand why it evolved into what it currently is, and why we're really happy with the final result.
CS: Why SOE, and what has working with SOE been like?
EG: Because they're awesome and they let us be indie. We're a small studio of nutcase devs with what we like to think of as personality quirks (as opposed to disorders). We're making a really innovative game with some new, never before seen gameplay, and we needed creative freedom to bring SBS to life. Not only did SOE stay out of our way creatively, they actively supported us at every step of the way. When the game grew really big and we needed help testing, SOE was there for us. When we needed to translate the game into a bunch of languages for Europe SOE stepped up to the plate and took care of all of it for us. These are things we would have really struggled to do on our own. So in short it's been great working with SOE; they really let our indie creativity flourish while giving us the support we needed to get the game onto PSN quickly.
CS: What makes the game a good fit for PSN, and vice versa?
EG: PSN is going to be a great home for SBS because of how much the channel pushes the limits on a regular basis. If you've got something creatively weird then PSN is the place to be. PSN users are always willing to explore exciting new games that don't fit into any genre checkbox nicely (i.e. Flower, anything PixelJunk). Oh, and we're gonna stick out like a sore thumb on PSN :) A 1 to 4 player party/brawling/building game with full fledged co-op campaign and competitive battle modes? Fuhgeddaboutit.
CS: What I saw at PAX last Fall is only a small slice of the game, and I recall a (very resourceful) giant robot piling snow on the board, and a Volcano stage with lava damage - can you talk about the different levels and environments - and how they affect gameplay?
EG: Ha! Yup, they're still in there, and we've spruced up them and their levels a bunch. Each level has its own feel, and many affect game play. In Volcano City you build your tower on platforms that are scales suspended above lava; build too much on one side, and it'll dip down into the molten rock, taking tons of damage. To add a nice twist to the level we've added intermittent volcano explosions - I'm guessing you can imagine what that means. We've got a bunch of great new levels that we haven't shown off yet too, like Neon City which features a turbocharger which can temporarily boost all your weapons and make them fire twice as fast. We'll be showing off more of these levels leading up to launch!
Of course, levels aren't the only source of variety in the game. The game can play very differently depending on what weapon types you have available. So far we've shown off purple lasers, red missiles, and blue shields. In the video you can also see green drills which do continuous damage until punched, and orange ping pong paddles which bounce attacks back at the attacker's tower. And of course there are other weapons besides these too, including my favorite weapon in the game. No, we haven't revealed it yet! Check back in and we'll show you more soon.
CS: Let’s talk about hats - oodles of hats.
EG: So we pretty much think Dino Run is the best game ever and we totally want to mimic them. Seriously though, what's the point of brawling if you can't have look good while punching your buddy in the face? The game features a ton of unlockable hats, all of which are tied to in game challenges. Want that Jolly Roger pirate hat? You'd best get to work stealing blocks from your friend's tower. All of the trophies in the game are tied to hats as well, so if you get a trophy for doing something awesome then you also get a hat in game. It's a lot of fun! My favorite hat right now is the Fire Chief hat, but of course I have to say that.
CS: Can you talk about “Beverage Mode” and accessible gaming? (our N4G forum goers are familiar with AskACapper)
EG: Beverage mode is a way that you can play our game with only one hand, allowing you to multitask and... have a drink! Or eat a sandwich! Or, if you're sufficiently hardcore, dual wield controllers and play two characters at once. Even I have trouble with that. Our game also fully supports controller remapping, so you can change around the control scheme however you'd like and then save it for when you come back later.
Beverage mode is an offshoot from my graduate work at MIT where I did research on how to make video games with highly usable and accessible interfaces (what a mouthful!) If you ever have trouble getting to sleep you're welcome to pass out while trying to read my thesis on the subject ( http://www.firehosegames.co... ). In general I'm a strong proponent of making games as accessible as possible without breaking the gameplay, which is what Chuck (AskACapper) is all about. When we realized that we could dial down the number of buttons needed to play the game to one hand, we figured we had to make beverage mode.
CS: There seems to be a growing interest in co-op games (vs just online mutliplayer competitive titles), in what ways did that inform your game’s co-op mode?
EG: I love co-op games. I won't even play Rock Band without other people. They're just always more fun than playing by yourself, even if it means you lose more often or have more trouble getting through certain levels (New Super Mario Bros Wii, I'm looking at you). We always knew the game would have a 1-4 player co-op mode right from the start, and that affected a lot of our design decisions. Every level is designed to scale in difficulty with the number of players. All of the bosses have variable attack styles based on the number of players. Ideally we did the co-op part so well that you won't notice much a difference between playing on your own and playing with your friends.
CS: You’re not planning an online mode, which is a bold choice in these - often frightening - online multiplayer times, can you talk a little about that decision?
EG: I dunno, I don't think it's that bold of a choice. I've played Smash Bros a million times with people. You know how many times I've played Brawl online? Never. I know it's not going to win me many fans to say this, but I personally think that local multiplayer is ALWAYS more fun than online multiplayer. There's no lag, there's no inappropriate 13 year old cursing more than a sailor, and it's so much easier to laugh. Slam Bolt Scrappers isn't designed to be a hyper competitive game for people to play ranked matches against random strangers online. It's designed to be a really fun party game that you play with your friends while yelling at each other and the TV in the same room. That's how you have the most fun, and that's why we decided not to bother with online multiplayer.
CS: For those players without anyone to play co-op with, will you come to their house and play with them?
EG: I actually ship with the game. BE WARNED.
CS: What do you think of motion control?
EG: Ha! I think I have a chapter in my thesis written on this :) Motion controls make a lot of sense if it is appropriate for the game. Dance Central uses motion controls in a really neat and intuitive way, and the game is awesome as a result. Same thing for Bit.Trip Beat. Unfortunately a lot of games just dump it in for no reason or, even worse, try to use it as a substitute in a situation where a button press would do perfectly well (waggle controls, anyone?) In those cases I really dislike motion controls and wish developers wouldn't try to be cute.
CS: Does it have a place in your development?
EG: If it makes sense for one of our games absolutely. We've actually already worked on one motion controlled game and we might do it again if we have a good, appropriate idea. Between the Move, Kinect, NGP, and Wii I feel like we'll have plenty of opportunities.
CS: Power-ups are a big part of the game - and I recall from PAX you're partial to the dastardly Thief power-up - what are the rest of Fire Hose Games team’s favorite power-ups?
EG: The thief power up is heroic and awesome :) It does just what you'd think, letting you steal a weapon from the other team's tower. One guy here is really, really good with the comet power up, which lets you dash around the screen madly like a comet, destroying everything in your path. Another developer is partial to the monster, which in addition to turning you big and green makes you super powerful and lets you directly punch the other person's tower. So yeah, power ups play a HUGE role in our game.
CS: You recently had players help choose the names for two characters in the game, Zephyr, the angel, and Joule, the masked character. What about the other character names - like the two chosen by the Child’s Play auction winners?
EG: Oh man! GOOD MEMORY. We were gonna post them on our website soon, but you know what? If anyone has read this far in the interview they deserve the scoop. So here they are, the naming debut of two more characters: The girl is Pen Yen, and the demon is J.S. Bull. Both names have great stories behind them, we're really happy with the result.
CS: Will there be a demo?
EG: Demos are a developers way of saying "My game is quality, I stand by it. If you don't like my game, if you don't like my demo, don't give me your money." So what I'm saying is YES, our game will absolutely have a demo. And it'll rock your face off. We know that if people just play the game for a little bit they'll fall in love and want to pick up the full title.
CS: Provided infinite time and money, what sort of game would you want to make next?
EG: Great question. I want to go in some weird directions with my games in the future - I'd love to make a game that REALLY uses the Move + Eye or Kinect in a deep and meaningful way, something that hardcore gamers would like to play. That sort of thing is exactly what we know how to do, but alas when you're a small indie studio it's tough to line up those kinds of projects. Maybe soon we'll be able to do it!
CS: And finally, for anyone not paying attention in class, release date and price:
EG: The game is dropping in March, don't worry you won't have to wait long! Pricing we're not sure about yet, but it'll be reasonable.
CS: Can you talk a little bit about the Fire Hose Games beginnings? Give us an origin story!
EG: We were just a bunch of normal nerds until we were bitten by a radioactive spider, exposed to gamma radiation, and had our parents brutally murdered in front of us. It was a pretty crazy day! At that point we developed superpowers and started making video games in a misguided effort to fight crime. That was back in 2008, and we've been going ever since! Beforehand I was a graduate student at MIT doing research on how to make video games more accessible, and before that I was making an educational video game that taught immunology to high school students. Fun stuff!
CS: Advice for anyone thinking of opening their own studio?
EG: Oh man, where to start? Here's a few pointers: have at least one person on the team with 3+ years experience making games commercially, have one person on the team dedicated to finding money, make friends with lots of game developers smarter than you and lean on them heavily for advice, and don't be afraid to ask others for help. Oh, and you should make a game too. That would be helpful.
CS: For those that haven’t read my super awesome preview from PAX Prime, can you talk a little bit about Slam Bolt Scrappers' premise and gameplay?
EG: Sure! SBS is a unique multiplayer mash up of building and brawling.
Either watch the video below, or read this:
Basically you fly around and get colored blocks by beating up these charming little baddies. Once you've got a few colored blocks you can build with them in your tower, with your goal being to build big squares of the same color. Build big squares causes weapons to grow on your tower, with bigger squares leading to bigger weapons. The weapons then fight along side you, targeting baddies, other players, and of course the enemy's tower. The towers fight, and the last tower standing wins! The game is VERY fast paced and hectic, as you're trying to quickly fight other players and baddies while simultaneously build up these giant towers of destruction. Luckily we've added a bunch of power ups to help you along the way. If you like multiplayer party, fighting, or building games you are really going to love this!
CS: And what was it like coming up with Slam Bolt Scrappers as a game, which ideas ended up on the “reject” pile?
EG: It was nuts. The game that players will actually get is the 5th (!!!) version of the game; versions 1-4 didn't make the cut. We spent a full year prototyping before coming up with this final design. Here's a partial list of some of the features and ideas that got the ax on the path to release:
- Growing plants on your tower
- Building with bizarrely shaped tangram blocks
- Electrocuting baddies with live power lines and batting them away with steel I-beams
- Plugging up holes on a giant dam about to collapse
- And punching T-Rex from Dinosaur Comics, by Ryan North. Yes, that was actually in our game once upon a time.
Don't worry though - the version of the game you see now is WAAAAY better than the older versions. Once the game is out we'll probably put up some screenshots or video from the old versions and you'll understand why it evolved into what it currently is, and why we're really happy with the final result.
CS: Why SOE, and what has working with SOE been like?
EG: Because they're awesome and they let us be indie. We're a small studio of nutcase devs with what we like to think of as personality quirks (as opposed to disorders). We're making a really innovative game with some new, never before seen gameplay, and we needed creative freedom to bring SBS to life. Not only did SOE stay out of our way creatively, they actively supported us at every step of the way. When the game grew really big and we needed help testing, SOE was there for us. When we needed to translate the game into a bunch of languages for Europe SOE stepped up to the plate and took care of all of it for us. These are things we would have really struggled to do on our own. So in short it's been great working with SOE; they really let our indie creativity flourish while giving us the support we needed to get the game onto PSN quickly.
CS: What makes the game a good fit for PSN, and vice versa?
EG: PSN is going to be a great home for SBS because of how much the channel pushes the limits on a regular basis. If you've got something creatively weird then PSN is the place to be. PSN users are always willing to explore exciting new games that don't fit into any genre checkbox nicely (i.e. Flower, anything PixelJunk). Oh, and we're gonna stick out like a sore thumb on PSN :) A 1 to 4 player party/brawling/building game with full fledged co-op campaign and competitive battle modes? Fuhgeddaboutit.
CS: What I saw at PAX last Fall is only a small slice of the game, and I recall a (very resourceful) giant robot piling snow on the board, and a Volcano stage with lava damage - can you talk about the different levels and environments - and how they affect gameplay?
EG: Ha! Yup, they're still in there, and we've spruced up them and their levels a bunch. Each level has its own feel, and many affect game play. In Volcano City you build your tower on platforms that are scales suspended above lava; build too much on one side, and it'll dip down into the molten rock, taking tons of damage. To add a nice twist to the level we've added intermittent volcano explosions - I'm guessing you can imagine what that means. We've got a bunch of great new levels that we haven't shown off yet too, like Neon City which features a turbocharger which can temporarily boost all your weapons and make them fire twice as fast. We'll be showing off more of these levels leading up to launch!
Of course, levels aren't the only source of variety in the game. The game can play very differently depending on what weapon types you have available. So far we've shown off purple lasers, red missiles, and blue shields. In the video you can also see green drills which do continuous damage until punched, and orange ping pong paddles which bounce attacks back at the attacker's tower. And of course there are other weapons besides these too, including my favorite weapon in the game. No, we haven't revealed it yet! Check back in and we'll show you more soon.
CS: Let’s talk about hats - oodles of hats.
EG: So we pretty much think Dino Run is the best game ever and we totally want to mimic them. Seriously though, what's the point of brawling if you can't have look good while punching your buddy in the face? The game features a ton of unlockable hats, all of which are tied to in game challenges. Want that Jolly Roger pirate hat? You'd best get to work stealing blocks from your friend's tower. All of the trophies in the game are tied to hats as well, so if you get a trophy for doing something awesome then you also get a hat in game. It's a lot of fun! My favorite hat right now is the Fire Chief hat, but of course I have to say that.
CS: Can you talk about “Beverage Mode” and accessible gaming? (our N4G forum goers are familiar with AskACapper)
EG: Beverage mode is a way that you can play our game with only one hand, allowing you to multitask and... have a drink! Or eat a sandwich! Or, if you're sufficiently hardcore, dual wield controllers and play two characters at once. Even I have trouble with that. Our game also fully supports controller remapping, so you can change around the control scheme however you'd like and then save it for when you come back later.
Beverage mode is an offshoot from my graduate work at MIT where I did research on how to make video games with highly usable and accessible interfaces (what a mouthful!) If you ever have trouble getting to sleep you're welcome to pass out while trying to read my thesis on the subject ( http://www.firehosegames.co... ). In general I'm a strong proponent of making games as accessible as possible without breaking the gameplay, which is what Chuck (AskACapper) is all about. When we realized that we could dial down the number of buttons needed to play the game to one hand, we figured we had to make beverage mode.
CS: There seems to be a growing interest in co-op games (vs just online mutliplayer competitive titles), in what ways did that inform your game’s co-op mode?
EG: I love co-op games. I won't even play Rock Band without other people. They're just always more fun than playing by yourself, even if it means you lose more often or have more trouble getting through certain levels (New Super Mario Bros Wii, I'm looking at you). We always knew the game would have a 1-4 player co-op mode right from the start, and that affected a lot of our design decisions. Every level is designed to scale in difficulty with the number of players. All of the bosses have variable attack styles based on the number of players. Ideally we did the co-op part so well that you won't notice much a difference between playing on your own and playing with your friends.
CS: You’re not planning an online mode, which is a bold choice in these - often frightening - online multiplayer times, can you talk a little about that decision?
EG: I dunno, I don't think it's that bold of a choice. I've played Smash Bros a million times with people. You know how many times I've played Brawl online? Never. I know it's not going to win me many fans to say this, but I personally think that local multiplayer is ALWAYS more fun than online multiplayer. There's no lag, there's no inappropriate 13 year old cursing more than a sailor, and it's so much easier to laugh. Slam Bolt Scrappers isn't designed to be a hyper competitive game for people to play ranked matches against random strangers online. It's designed to be a really fun party game that you play with your friends while yelling at each other and the TV in the same room. That's how you have the most fun, and that's why we decided not to bother with online multiplayer.
CS: For those players without anyone to play co-op with, will you come to their house and play with them?
EG: I actually ship with the game. BE WARNED.
CS: What do you think of motion control?
EG: Ha! I think I have a chapter in my thesis written on this :) Motion controls make a lot of sense if it is appropriate for the game. Dance Central uses motion controls in a really neat and intuitive way, and the game is awesome as a result. Same thing for Bit.Trip Beat. Unfortunately a lot of games just dump it in for no reason or, even worse, try to use it as a substitute in a situation where a button press would do perfectly well (waggle controls, anyone?) In those cases I really dislike motion controls and wish developers wouldn't try to be cute.
CS: Does it have a place in your development?
EG: If it makes sense for one of our games absolutely. We've actually already worked on one motion controlled game and we might do it again if we have a good, appropriate idea. Between the Move, Kinect, NGP, and Wii I feel like we'll have plenty of opportunities.
CS: Power-ups are a big part of the game - and I recall from PAX you're partial to the dastardly Thief power-up - what are the rest of Fire Hose Games team’s favorite power-ups?
EG: The thief power up is heroic and awesome :) It does just what you'd think, letting you steal a weapon from the other team's tower. One guy here is really, really good with the comet power up, which lets you dash around the screen madly like a comet, destroying everything in your path. Another developer is partial to the monster, which in addition to turning you big and green makes you super powerful and lets you directly punch the other person's tower. So yeah, power ups play a HUGE role in our game.
CS: You recently had players help choose the names for two characters in the game, Zephyr, the angel, and Joule, the masked character. What about the other character names - like the two chosen by the Child’s Play auction winners?
EG: Oh man! GOOD MEMORY. We were gonna post them on our website soon, but you know what? If anyone has read this far in the interview they deserve the scoop. So here they are, the naming debut of two more characters: The girl is Pen Yen, and the demon is J.S. Bull. Both names have great stories behind them, we're really happy with the result.
CS: Will there be a demo?
EG: Demos are a developers way of saying "My game is quality, I stand by it. If you don't like my game, if you don't like my demo, don't give me your money." So what I'm saying is YES, our game will absolutely have a demo. And it'll rock your face off. We know that if people just play the game for a little bit they'll fall in love and want to pick up the full title.
CS: Provided infinite time and money, what sort of game would you want to make next?
EG: Great question. I want to go in some weird directions with my games in the future - I'd love to make a game that REALLY uses the Move + Eye or Kinect in a deep and meaningful way, something that hardcore gamers would like to play. That sort of thing is exactly what we know how to do, but alas when you're a small indie studio it's tough to line up those kinds of projects. Maybe soon we'll be able to do it!
CS: And finally, for anyone not paying attention in class, release date and price:
EG: The game is dropping in March, don't worry you won't have to wait long! Pricing we're not sure about yet, but it'll be reasonable.
Killzone 3 Commentary PS3 Demo Playthrough
This is my playthrough of the Killzone 3 Demo now available on PSN. My commentary is not the best but its a second attempt. In any case this game is really good but not without its issue's. My 2 biggest gripes with this game is it really feels like a shooter on rails. more so then the first one & they have toned down Rico too much. He went from rated M language to PG. during the whole demo he cursed twice. Sh*t and B*&ch.. that was it.. i actually enjoyed the things he said in the original. Other then that it's a very good game.
Thứ Hai, 17 tháng 10, 2011
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Mortal Kombat 9 Impressions
Not just after getting our hands on the demo, we were already pumped up for the game since the day 1 that it had been announced. MK fans are quite unique in the gaming world. They are crazy about the game as many fans are about theirs but MK fans are much more influencing and powerful than them all. Game developer Ed Boon said that they listened to those fans and switched back to 2-D fighting with gore and fatalities making a return on the series.
As you may know, the game was launched last week on April 21st in Europe and since that day MK fans are having sleep problems. How they wouldn't ? MK 9 is a BEAST ! The game is full of content and joy. I already knew that it would be full of joy but the content ?
The story mode is a joke... In a good way of course. It's quite long and full of exciting events - and fights -. I actually thought the story mode will be a short one and not a good one. I was wrong. The story mode not only let's you get your hands on most of the characters in the game and learn their ways of fighting, it also let's you know how the roster got together in MK 9.
The challenge tower mode is quite unique and useful in earning points for the krypt and learning the characters' moves. It is quite long and challenging as well.
The classic arcade mode, 2 v 2 fights, rich versus modes and online content makes the game full of exciting content. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the online modes because of the PSN disaster recently.
The content is impressive but gameplay is even more impressive. The way you can link up the combos is so good , you can create many combinations and do some real damage in the battles. Linking the special attacks into x-ray moves, corner combos, breaking up combos in a fast paced environment increases the level of adrenaline. Gameplay wise , MK is one of the best fighting games ever released if not the best.
One of the other things that I liked about the game is the balance of power of the characters in the game. All of them are unique in terms of their fighting styles. Although there would be people who would argue some characters are so superior or weaker against others, I believe otherwise. I am sure I would see a great nightwolf player and a shitty nightwolf player where as a great scorpion and a shitty scorpion player and etc..
There is not much to say other than playing the game, enjoying it, ripping some heads off, trying to pull of some improbable combos, enjoying how the skulls are broken in x-ray moves and blood splatter in fatalities.
As you may know, the game was launched last week on April 21st in Europe and since that day MK fans are having sleep problems. How they wouldn't ? MK 9 is a BEAST ! The game is full of content and joy. I already knew that it would be full of joy but the content ?
The story mode is a joke... In a good way of course. It's quite long and full of exciting events - and fights -. I actually thought the story mode will be a short one and not a good one. I was wrong. The story mode not only let's you get your hands on most of the characters in the game and learn their ways of fighting, it also let's you know how the roster got together in MK 9.
The challenge tower mode is quite unique and useful in earning points for the krypt and learning the characters' moves. It is quite long and challenging as well.
The classic arcade mode, 2 v 2 fights, rich versus modes and online content makes the game full of exciting content. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the online modes because of the PSN disaster recently.
The content is impressive but gameplay is even more impressive. The way you can link up the combos is so good , you can create many combinations and do some real damage in the battles. Linking the special attacks into x-ray moves, corner combos, breaking up combos in a fast paced environment increases the level of adrenaline. Gameplay wise , MK is one of the best fighting games ever released if not the best.
One of the other things that I liked about the game is the balance of power of the characters in the game. All of them are unique in terms of their fighting styles. Although there would be people who would argue some characters are so superior or weaker against others, I believe otherwise. I am sure I would see a great nightwolf player and a shitty nightwolf player where as a great scorpion and a shitty scorpion player and etc..
There is not much to say other than playing the game, enjoying it, ripping some heads off, trying to pull of some improbable combos, enjoying how the skulls are broken in x-ray moves and blood splatter in fatalities.
The issue of Reimbursement for PSN downtime.
As all Sony Computer Entertainment Product users know, PSN has been down for about 4 days now. The official reason being that PSN was compromised by hackers and Sony is rebuilding security. Ever since this occurred the issue of reimbursement for lost time has been brought up.
All kinds of justifications from people who are demanding it have been brought up, and this blog seeks to address them and explain why they are understandable, yet erroneous.
Reason 1: "I paid $_____ for a PS3 with access to an online service, I deserve reimbursement because a function of what I paid for is not working."
This is normally a valid point to make, however it is omitting some facts. For one, is there a cheaper PS3 without the ability to use PSN out in the market somewhere? If there is, please show us. I'm sure there are millions who would be willing to buy a PSN-free PS3 at a much cheaper price than what the cost of a PS3 is now. Second is the fact that PSN exists separate of the PS3, hence why you can access it on the PSP and PC, so you didn't really pay for PSN.
Reason 2: "If Sony wants to save face with the userbase, they'll give us something for our lack of access to this service."
While this makes sense from a PR standpoint, the fact remains that Sony doesn't have to give us anything. For two reasons. A)PSN is a free service. You haven't lost any money, so they don't owe you anything. Sure it'd be nice of them as a kind of good will gesture, but be honest now and admit that you'll still be gaming on your PS3 even if they don't give you anything. Those that are griping about this do so just for something to gripe about. B)The EULA of pretty much anything that has or is an online access hub states that the company can makes no promises about sustained, permanent stability and usability of the service, and also reserves the right to "turn off" the service at their discretion and without prior notification.
Now I won't post the entire section of that portion of the PSN EULA, but suffice it to say when you clicked Accept you waived any right to complain. Besides, everyone should know with their own internet connection that things can happen and your connection can be dropped for any number of reasons. The difference is that you pay for your internet connection and are legally granted the right to ask for compensation and receiving it. Also, what about those people who don't have internet access at all? They've never known what it is to game online. For them, nothing has changed at all. How would they take advantage of such a reimbursement?
Reason 3: "I'm a PSN+ subscriber, I paid $50 for my subscription and deserve something."
Sorry to say but, no you don't. Your subscription is not to gain access to PSN, it's to gain access to exclusive content before non-subscribed users. What that means is that said content will still be there when PSN is back up and running and you'll be able to download it whenever you want. So you haven't lost any money.
Reason 4: "I paid for a subscription to DC Universe Online (or any other pay to play based game) and I am entitled to the time I can't play the game back.
You're right, you are. Except your gripe is with Sony Online Entertainment. It falls to them to hand out any such reimbursement. I wouldn't count on it though because DCUO has great subscription plans where you get a discounted price for say 3 months of play, I could only see them really giving you anything if you wanted to end your subscription and then give you say 4 days free or something. But anyway, SOE is the one you want to talk to, and they are a different department altogether. I believe SCEJ handles all PSN related issues.
The fact remains, no one is "entitled" to anything. PSN is a free service that costs Sony money, not you. Sure, it'd be nice if they gave us something as an apology for the inconvenience, but to act as though you deserve it is specious reasoning. Your hard earned money has not been wasted in any way, so you can't really complain.
It may suck, but it is also just a fact. So just get in some time on single player games, rack up trophies, and be patient. Patience really is a virtue, and saves you from a lot of unnecessary stress, and everyone else from unwanted whining.
All kinds of justifications from people who are demanding it have been brought up, and this blog seeks to address them and explain why they are understandable, yet erroneous.
Reason 1: "I paid $_____ for a PS3 with access to an online service, I deserve reimbursement because a function of what I paid for is not working."
This is normally a valid point to make, however it is omitting some facts. For one, is there a cheaper PS3 without the ability to use PSN out in the market somewhere? If there is, please show us. I'm sure there are millions who would be willing to buy a PSN-free PS3 at a much cheaper price than what the cost of a PS3 is now. Second is the fact that PSN exists separate of the PS3, hence why you can access it on the PSP and PC, so you didn't really pay for PSN.
Reason 2: "If Sony wants to save face with the userbase, they'll give us something for our lack of access to this service."
While this makes sense from a PR standpoint, the fact remains that Sony doesn't have to give us anything. For two reasons. A)PSN is a free service. You haven't lost any money, so they don't owe you anything. Sure it'd be nice of them as a kind of good will gesture, but be honest now and admit that you'll still be gaming on your PS3 even if they don't give you anything. Those that are griping about this do so just for something to gripe about. B)The EULA of pretty much anything that has or is an online access hub states that the company can makes no promises about sustained, permanent stability and usability of the service, and also reserves the right to "turn off" the service at their discretion and without prior notification.
Now I won't post the entire section of that portion of the PSN EULA, but suffice it to say when you clicked Accept you waived any right to complain. Besides, everyone should know with their own internet connection that things can happen and your connection can be dropped for any number of reasons. The difference is that you pay for your internet connection and are legally granted the right to ask for compensation and receiving it. Also, what about those people who don't have internet access at all? They've never known what it is to game online. For them, nothing has changed at all. How would they take advantage of such a reimbursement?
Reason 3: "I'm a PSN+ subscriber, I paid $50 for my subscription and deserve something."
Sorry to say but, no you don't. Your subscription is not to gain access to PSN, it's to gain access to exclusive content before non-subscribed users. What that means is that said content will still be there when PSN is back up and running and you'll be able to download it whenever you want. So you haven't lost any money.
Reason 4: "I paid for a subscription to DC Universe Online (or any other pay to play based game) and I am entitled to the time I can't play the game back.
You're right, you are. Except your gripe is with Sony Online Entertainment. It falls to them to hand out any such reimbursement. I wouldn't count on it though because DCUO has great subscription plans where you get a discounted price for say 3 months of play, I could only see them really giving you anything if you wanted to end your subscription and then give you say 4 days free or something. But anyway, SOE is the one you want to talk to, and they are a different department altogether. I believe SCEJ handles all PSN related issues.
The fact remains, no one is "entitled" to anything. PSN is a free service that costs Sony money, not you. Sure, it'd be nice if they gave us something as an apology for the inconvenience, but to act as though you deserve it is specious reasoning. Your hard earned money has not been wasted in any way, so you can't really complain.
It may suck, but it is also just a fact. So just get in some time on single player games, rack up trophies, and be patient. Patience really is a virtue, and saves you from a lot of unnecessary stress, and everyone else from unwanted whining.
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Thứ Sáu, 14 tháng 10, 2011
Predictions for the Next GTA.
GTA has been a pretty big mark on this generation. Sadly though, this mark has only been achieved with one game. GTA IV broke sales records and won over critics and gamers alike. While that is an impressive feat for one game, it would have been great to see at least 3 GTA games like we did last generation. Unfortunately, with many side products as well as higher standards making free roam games more laborious, the most we will see of GTA is a mere two games before this generation is over. Knowing that, we know that the next GTA will be another landmark title that rockstar will use to end this generation with a bang and once again silence any pretenders in the industry who try to touch its glory. With that in mind, here are my predictions for the next GTA that are almost sure to come true.
3.It wont be called GTA V.
You may have noticed that I have not once referred to the next GTA as GTA V. There is a reason for that. GTA games have an interesting way of marking sequels. Instead of doing it in a sequential order, GTA games are numbered by generation. GTA III marked the third generation of GTA while GTA IV marked its debut the fourth generation. GTA V will only be made when PS4 and 720 are announced. The only way the next GTA will be known as GTA V is if there really is no more GTA for this generation. If that is the case, this generation has failed completely. That scenario is unlikely though and the next GTA will probably be called GTA:insert setting here.
2.GTA will be set on London.
GTA games so far have followed a pattern. GTA III, Vice city, and San Andreas were all made setting of thier 2D counterparts. The only setting that has not been remade the London version. Rockstar has hinted in interviews that they will most likely not set the next GTA in a US state and want to go more foreign. Following that and the fact that Rockstar has not dont a London setting in a 3D game, I would say it is very likley that we will see a London setting in the next GTA.
1.GTA will be announced in 2012. 2013 release will be massive.
GTA IV took 5 years to develop as did LA Noire and Red Dead Remeption. GTA IV was released in 2008 so we are nearing the 5 year mark since it came out. With that in mind, I would conclude that we will see GTA "V" announced in 2012 at the latest with a relase date set for 2013. This GTA will be the last GTA game of this generation and will end it with a very memorable game to look back on. I have no doubt about this because Rockstar puts everything into thier games and will not let a game of this calibur disappoint gamers. The hype will be huge and the sales may be enough to claim fastest selling games once again.
3.It wont be called GTA V.
You may have noticed that I have not once referred to the next GTA as GTA V. There is a reason for that. GTA games have an interesting way of marking sequels. Instead of doing it in a sequential order, GTA games are numbered by generation. GTA III marked the third generation of GTA while GTA IV marked its debut the fourth generation. GTA V will only be made when PS4 and 720 are announced. The only way the next GTA will be known as GTA V is if there really is no more GTA for this generation. If that is the case, this generation has failed completely. That scenario is unlikely though and the next GTA will probably be called GTA:insert setting here.
2.GTA will be set on London.
GTA games so far have followed a pattern. GTA III, Vice city, and San Andreas were all made setting of thier 2D counterparts. The only setting that has not been remade the London version. Rockstar has hinted in interviews that they will most likely not set the next GTA in a US state and want to go more foreign. Following that and the fact that Rockstar has not dont a London setting in a 3D game, I would say it is very likley that we will see a London setting in the next GTA.
1.GTA will be announced in 2012. 2013 release will be massive.
GTA IV took 5 years to develop as did LA Noire and Red Dead Remeption. GTA IV was released in 2008 so we are nearing the 5 year mark since it came out. With that in mind, I would conclude that we will see GTA "V" announced in 2012 at the latest with a relase date set for 2013. This GTA will be the last GTA game of this generation and will end it with a very memorable game to look back on. I have no doubt about this because Rockstar puts everything into thier games and will not let a game of this calibur disappoint gamers. The hype will be huge and the sales may be enough to claim fastest selling games once again.
3rd day at GamesCom 2011 from a real gamer
Why from a real gamer?
I'm not a journalist, I´m a passionate and enthusiast that is not living the fair from behind the scene but from in front, doing queues, standing in line for hours and all that jazz ;)!
MASS EFFECT 3
So yes, I wake up early, went to Cologne´s Trade Fair early and "rushed" to the EA´s space to get an head start on MS3 and I did it, only like an hour of queue (compared to the average of 4/5 hours).
I´m not sure we played the very starting of the game but Mordin, Liara and Garrus are with you, together with a female krogan, Cerberus is an enemy again and there was no Tali in sight... The gameplay (on a 360) was quite the same of MS2 but there seemed to be a bit more customization both for powers and weapons, which is welcome and looked interesting and more complete.
It felt and looked as the "usual" Mass Effect, hopefully the whole game will be a bit more open and varied than its predecessor!!
My vote (for now): 9!
SAINTS RAW 3
This was just a video (pure gameplay) but was very fun! I haven´t played any game from this series so didn't expect that much craziness.
The customization looked deep and intriguing and it really seems you can do everything (even a missile strike from the heavens!).
The graphics is not overly polished but quite rich and colorful, something I´m now quite intrigued about!
My vote (for now): 8.5!
DRAGON´s DOGMA
Looks really nice graphics-wise and the environment seems rich and vast enough (for comparison looks better than Dragon Age 2). It´s a classic fantasy settings with all the elements one would expect. PS3 controls seemed smooth and easy even though the frame-rate dramatically dropped a few times (can´t say why and it´s still many months from its release so it´s not frightening :)).
My vote (for now): 8.5!
DARK SOULS
Take Demon´s Soul, improve its graphics dramatically and keep the gameplay and mechanics, the settings seems to also be quite similar. Well, that´s my feeling after playing Dark Souls and, honestly, I´m not unhappy about it ;).
My vote (for now): 9!
GHOST RECON´s FUTURE SOLDIER
I really enjoyed to try this one out! It´s a strategic shooter with some nice touches. Felt and moved very good, also looked very good.
One guy from the Ubisoft team (someone involved with the game, I mean) kindly explained that´s not meant as a "run and gun" game but more a tactic and strategic one that requires team-play and collaboration. That´s something I personally enjoy very much and those that like games such as S.O.C.O.M. and similar shooters that´s something to look forward to with its March 2012 release!
My vote (for now): 9!
PROTOTYPE 2
The second chapter of the series seems bigger and better than the first. I didn't play the first although I am informed about it and this second chapter is looking quite intriguing.
They added some variety to the gameplay that will certainly make it more interesting and spectacularity will also come in spades!
My vote (for now): 8.5!
the DARKNESS 2
This is set a couple of years after the first with the same main character. I didn't play the first but the mood, for those that love dark moods, seems to be just right and quite grim.
Intriguing mechanics and combat system, certainly something for a chance in pace!
My vote (for now): 8!
Hey! I met Tak Fujii and he was kind enough to pose with me for a pic, not sure what he was doing at GamesCom but I couldn't pass the "One Million Troops" guy!
I'm not a journalist, I´m a passionate and enthusiast that is not living the fair from behind the scene but from in front, doing queues, standing in line for hours and all that jazz ;)!
MASS EFFECT 3
So yes, I wake up early, went to Cologne´s Trade Fair early and "rushed" to the EA´s space to get an head start on MS3 and I did it, only like an hour of queue (compared to the average of 4/5 hours).
I´m not sure we played the very starting of the game but Mordin, Liara and Garrus are with you, together with a female krogan, Cerberus is an enemy again and there was no Tali in sight... The gameplay (on a 360) was quite the same of MS2 but there seemed to be a bit more customization both for powers and weapons, which is welcome and looked interesting and more complete.
It felt and looked as the "usual" Mass Effect, hopefully the whole game will be a bit more open and varied than its predecessor!!
My vote (for now): 9!
SAINTS RAW 3
This was just a video (pure gameplay) but was very fun! I haven´t played any game from this series so didn't expect that much craziness.
The customization looked deep and intriguing and it really seems you can do everything (even a missile strike from the heavens!).
The graphics is not overly polished but quite rich and colorful, something I´m now quite intrigued about!
My vote (for now): 8.5!
DRAGON´s DOGMA
Looks really nice graphics-wise and the environment seems rich and vast enough (for comparison looks better than Dragon Age 2). It´s a classic fantasy settings with all the elements one would expect. PS3 controls seemed smooth and easy even though the frame-rate dramatically dropped a few times (can´t say why and it´s still many months from its release so it´s not frightening :)).
My vote (for now): 8.5!
DARK SOULS
Take Demon´s Soul, improve its graphics dramatically and keep the gameplay and mechanics, the settings seems to also be quite similar. Well, that´s my feeling after playing Dark Souls and, honestly, I´m not unhappy about it ;).
My vote (for now): 9!
GHOST RECON´s FUTURE SOLDIER
I really enjoyed to try this one out! It´s a strategic shooter with some nice touches. Felt and moved very good, also looked very good.
One guy from the Ubisoft team (someone involved with the game, I mean) kindly explained that´s not meant as a "run and gun" game but more a tactic and strategic one that requires team-play and collaboration. That´s something I personally enjoy very much and those that like games such as S.O.C.O.M. and similar shooters that´s something to look forward to with its March 2012 release!
My vote (for now): 9!
PROTOTYPE 2
The second chapter of the series seems bigger and better than the first. I didn't play the first although I am informed about it and this second chapter is looking quite intriguing.
They added some variety to the gameplay that will certainly make it more interesting and spectacularity will also come in spades!
My vote (for now): 8.5!
the DARKNESS 2
This is set a couple of years after the first with the same main character. I didn't play the first but the mood, for those that love dark moods, seems to be just right and quite grim.
Intriguing mechanics and combat system, certainly something for a chance in pace!
My vote (for now): 8!
Hey! I met Tak Fujii and he was kind enough to pose with me for a pic, not sure what he was doing at GamesCom but I couldn't pass the "One Million Troops" guy!
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Thứ Năm, 6 tháng 10, 2011
Adventure World Mountain Quests: Everything you need to know
After making your way through the Deep Jungle in Adventure World, and successfully retrieving the Monkey Idol, you'll unlock the ability to head up the mountain in - you guessed it - Mountain quests. You're going after the Bird Idol here, but you'll have some steep requirements to meet before you can leave Base Camp on the trek. You'll need to collect 20 each of Food, Fuel and Water, and will need to gather six friends to help you out on this quest. Technically, their job will be to "pull you up the mountain elevator," so they must be gathered before you're allowed to start on this quest for the Bird Idol. They can also be used while on the quests, giving you three free energy for each friend.
Once you begin, there's no time limit associated with these Quests, unlike the time limits found in Expeditions, so don't feel the need to rush through. Take your time with completing these quests and you'll get the biggest bang for your buck in terms of rewards. Here's a complete guide to doing just that.
Main Quests on the Mountain
Recover the Bird Idol Part 1
* Get the Box of TNT
* Get the Fuse Cord
* Get the Detonator
These three items are scattered about the map, and are guarded by a new kind of enemy: the Ram. By simply exploring the various "islands" or cliffs in this map (they look more like islands, if you ask me), you'll come across these three items on your own, but can always click on the "Show Me" button within the quest window to be shown exactly where they lie.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 2
* Set the TNT Below the Cliff
Once you've defeated Papa Cliff Jumper and have gathered all of the materials for your TNT bundle, you can place it in the highlight on your map, at the very top end. There's a Ram up here guarding the path, so keep that in mind.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 3
* Use the Plunger to Blast a Path!
* Recover the Bird Idol
The Plunger is found past a rock that must be blown up with dynamite (see the screenshot above), which can be purchased back at Base Camp for 1,000 coins. It's a single-use item, so you'll have to purchase one each time you want to use dynamite on a map. Once you've used the Plunger, you'll have to fight one last Ram before finding the Bird Idol on the platform you've just formed.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 4
* Return to Base Camp
* Place the Bird Idol
Unlike last time (when recovering the 24 Comments), once you collect the Bird Idol on the top of the cliff, you really will be done (no secret cave this time around). You'll just need to head home and place it outside the entrance to El Dorado to be completely finished.
Mountain Side Quests
Society Work
* Get 10 Jade Vases
* Get 5 Ruby Vases
* Get 2 Azure Skulls from Hidden Caves
* Get a Ram Horn Grip from the Mountaineer Collection
The Mountaineer Collection items drop from any Mountain map, including this one, so as you complete tasks, you might be lucky enough to come across enough collectibles to turn this one in (the Ram Horn Grip is the prize) before everything is said and done. As for the Ruby & Jade Vases (especially Jade Vases), they're scattered around the map as you might expect, hidden behind trees or under clouds, so make sure to explore every nook and cranny of the map to find them all. As an example, you'll be able to find four Jade Vases on the very first "island" you start the Mountain quests on. As for the Azure Skulls, the Hidden Caves are found under "Blooming Bushes," which are small areas of ground cover, the size of a regular bush, with white flowers on top. Once you interact with these bushes, they'll disappear, revealing a ladder into the cave. Here, you'll find Red Vases as well. Check out the screenshots below for the locations of both Hidden Caves, and an example of what you'll see when entering one.
A couple of notes: First, ignore Fluffy the Ewe in the below screenshot - she is a "lost animal" that may not appear in this particular location in your own game, and shouldn't be used as a place marker. Second, if you don't happen to find a Ram Horn, you don't technically have to to complete this entire mission and recover the Bird Idol. You can skip this quest and simply head back to Base Camp and place the Idol in its place.
Butting Heads
* Defeat four Rams
* Defeat Papa Cliff Jumper!
The four Rams are scattered around the map (check out the screenshot above), while Papa Cliff Jumper is found at the top end of the map, next to the Detonator you need for the first story mission in this area. He has 12 hit points, and he takes away two energy points each time he hits you, so it might take you a while to whittle him down, depending on how much you've upgraded your whip.
On the Rocks
* Break five Small Rocks
* Break five Medium Rocks
* Break three Big Rocks
* Use Dynamite
A single use of Dynamite is available to purchase for 1,000 coins in your Tool Shop back in Base Camp. As for the 13 rocks, you'll find them blocking your path between islands, or blocking your path between collectibles like vases, so you shouldn't have any problem finding the ones you need. If you do need one or more of a particular kind of rock, remember to hit the "Show Me" button in the quest window to see the camera zoom to a rock's location. As for the dynamite, you'll find a rock on your path after finding the Fuse Cord that must be blown up for you to proceed, and another as you reach the top of the map.
Bird Watching
* Investigate Rare Birds
* Investigate Exotic Eggs
* Investigate Bird Nests
Just like the Vases and rocks, these Birds, Nests, and Eggs are scattered around the map, normally blocked by some kind of obstacle, whether that be a trap, bush, thorn, or rock (as examples). The nests are found in similar areas, but they blend in incredibly well (that is, they look almost identical to thorns), so keep a lookout for things that look like the item in the square below.
Once you finish all of these goals, you will have successfully retrieved the Bird Idol, and will be at the halfway point for opening El Dorado itself, back on Base Camp. We'll make sure to let you know how to recover the other two idols, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Mountain / Bird Idol quests? Do you like it more than those quests for collecting the Monkey Idol? What sorts of adventures are you looking forward to next? Sound off in the comments.
Once you begin, there's no time limit associated with these Quests, unlike the time limits found in Expeditions, so don't feel the need to rush through. Take your time with completing these quests and you'll get the biggest bang for your buck in terms of rewards. Here's a complete guide to doing just that.
Main Quests on the Mountain
Recover the Bird Idol Part 1
* Get the Box of TNT
* Get the Fuse Cord
* Get the Detonator
These three items are scattered about the map, and are guarded by a new kind of enemy: the Ram. By simply exploring the various "islands" or cliffs in this map (they look more like islands, if you ask me), you'll come across these three items on your own, but can always click on the "Show Me" button within the quest window to be shown exactly where they lie.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 2
* Set the TNT Below the Cliff
Once you've defeated Papa Cliff Jumper and have gathered all of the materials for your TNT bundle, you can place it in the highlight on your map, at the very top end. There's a Ram up here guarding the path, so keep that in mind.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 3
* Use the Plunger to Blast a Path!
* Recover the Bird Idol
The Plunger is found past a rock that must be blown up with dynamite (see the screenshot above), which can be purchased back at Base Camp for 1,000 coins. It's a single-use item, so you'll have to purchase one each time you want to use dynamite on a map. Once you've used the Plunger, you'll have to fight one last Ram before finding the Bird Idol on the platform you've just formed.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 4
* Return to Base Camp
* Place the Bird Idol
Unlike last time (when recovering the 24 Comments), once you collect the Bird Idol on the top of the cliff, you really will be done (no secret cave this time around). You'll just need to head home and place it outside the entrance to El Dorado to be completely finished.
Mountain Side Quests
Society Work
* Get 10 Jade Vases
* Get 5 Ruby Vases
* Get 2 Azure Skulls from Hidden Caves
* Get a Ram Horn Grip from the Mountaineer Collection
The Mountaineer Collection items drop from any Mountain map, including this one, so as you complete tasks, you might be lucky enough to come across enough collectibles to turn this one in (the Ram Horn Grip is the prize) before everything is said and done. As for the Ruby & Jade Vases (especially Jade Vases), they're scattered around the map as you might expect, hidden behind trees or under clouds, so make sure to explore every nook and cranny of the map to find them all. As an example, you'll be able to find four Jade Vases on the very first "island" you start the Mountain quests on. As for the Azure Skulls, the Hidden Caves are found under "Blooming Bushes," which are small areas of ground cover, the size of a regular bush, with white flowers on top. Once you interact with these bushes, they'll disappear, revealing a ladder into the cave. Here, you'll find Red Vases as well. Check out the screenshots below for the locations of both Hidden Caves, and an example of what you'll see when entering one.
A couple of notes: First, ignore Fluffy the Ewe in the below screenshot - she is a "lost animal" that may not appear in this particular location in your own game, and shouldn't be used as a place marker. Second, if you don't happen to find a Ram Horn, you don't technically have to to complete this entire mission and recover the Bird Idol. You can skip this quest and simply head back to Base Camp and place the Idol in its place.
Butting Heads
* Defeat four Rams
* Defeat Papa Cliff Jumper!
The four Rams are scattered around the map (check out the screenshot above), while Papa Cliff Jumper is found at the top end of the map, next to the Detonator you need for the first story mission in this area. He has 12 hit points, and he takes away two energy points each time he hits you, so it might take you a while to whittle him down, depending on how much you've upgraded your whip.
On the Rocks
* Break five Small Rocks
* Break five Medium Rocks
* Break three Big Rocks
* Use Dynamite
A single use of Dynamite is available to purchase for 1,000 coins in your Tool Shop back in Base Camp. As for the 13 rocks, you'll find them blocking your path between islands, or blocking your path between collectibles like vases, so you shouldn't have any problem finding the ones you need. If you do need one or more of a particular kind of rock, remember to hit the "Show Me" button in the quest window to see the camera zoom to a rock's location. As for the dynamite, you'll find a rock on your path after finding the Fuse Cord that must be blown up for you to proceed, and another as you reach the top of the map.
Bird Watching
* Investigate Rare Birds
* Investigate Exotic Eggs
* Investigate Bird Nests
Just like the Vases and rocks, these Birds, Nests, and Eggs are scattered around the map, normally blocked by some kind of obstacle, whether that be a trap, bush, thorn, or rock (as examples). The nests are found in similar areas, but they blend in incredibly well (that is, they look almost identical to thorns), so keep a lookout for things that look like the item in the square below.
Once you finish all of these goals, you will have successfully retrieved the Bird Idol, and will be at the halfway point for opening El Dorado itself, back on Base Camp. We'll make sure to let you know how to recover the other two idols, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Mountain / Bird Idol quests? Do you like it more than those quests for collecting the Monkey Idol? What sorts of adventures are you looking forward to next? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Milking Shorthorn Lonely Animal: Everything you need to know
Over the past few months, we've seen a few animals come and go as Lonely Animals in FarmVille, and now that the Cow Pasture has been launched (a new storage building specifically for cows), we see the addition of one more: the Milking Shorthorn. This particular lonely animal functions the same as the others, but here's a rundown for those that haven't seen this feature before.
You'll have a period of just three days to gather the help of five friends to "lure" the Milking Shorthorn onto your farm. You see, the cow is actually sitting outside of your farm area, and you aren't allowed to interact with her as you would a normal animal. Only when you lure her into your farm will you be able to place her inside a building, harvest from her, etc.
To gather the help of friends, you can click on the Cow and then ask for help via individual gift requests. You can also purchase the cow outright, skipping this feature, by paying Farm Cash (within the same window). One final option comes in the form of ignoring her altogether, if you don't care about earning this free cow, and you can do so by clicking on the "Ignore It" button inside the Lonely Animal menu window. It's presumable that this would then delete the cow from your screen entirely, but I'm not going to ignore the animal to find out!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this newest Lonely Animal? Have you gathered the other Lonely Animals on your farm, or is this your first one? Sound off in the comments.
You'll have a period of just three days to gather the help of five friends to "lure" the Milking Shorthorn onto your farm. You see, the cow is actually sitting outside of your farm area, and you aren't allowed to interact with her as you would a normal animal. Only when you lure her into your farm will you be able to place her inside a building, harvest from her, etc.
To gather the help of friends, you can click on the Cow and then ask for help via individual gift requests. You can also purchase the cow outright, skipping this feature, by paying Farm Cash (within the same window). One final option comes in the form of ignoring her altogether, if you don't care about earning this free cow, and you can do so by clicking on the "Ignore It" button inside the Lonely Animal menu window. It's presumable that this would then delete the cow from your screen entirely, but I'm not going to ignore the animal to find out!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this newest Lonely Animal? Have you gathered the other Lonely Animals on your farm, or is this your first one? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Ram Runner Expedition: Everything you need to know
After tackling the perils of the Mountains to retrieve the Bird Idol in Adventure World, you might be ready to take on even more Rams in the next Expedition: Ram Runner. This one requires quite a few Supplies to get started, along with other tools, and it comes with the shortest time limit we've seen on an Expedition yet: just four hours. As for the requirements, you need to have 700 Supplies, and two each of Food, Fuel and Water before you can begin. As usual, we're here to give you a complete guide on what you need to do to finish this Expedition, so read on for more!
Claim the Ram Stein!
* Get the Ram Stein
For this particular Expedition, your goal will be to make it from one end of the linear trail to the other, while defeating Rams in the process. From the starting gate, you're met with two sets of traps, allowing two sets of Rams (with eight hit points each) to come after you when disarmed. You'll have to set the Rams free, however, as the traps block your path to continue. The truly unfortunate thing about this is that if you don't have a very highly upgraded Whip, you'll likely spend most if not all of your energy in just defeating the four of them. Luckily, you can bring five neighbors into this Expedition with you, giving you three bonus energy each (once they accept your request for help, that is), so you should be able to continue slightly onward after fighting these Rams with their help. The Stein itself is located on the last "island," as seen below.
Collect Ruby Vases
* Get 2 Ruby Vases
As usual, these Ruby Vases are scattered along the path, with most being blocked by some sort of obstacle, whether that be a rock, bush, thorn or otherwise. You only need to collect two, and you can find two on one of the central islands, as seen below (note: the empty square is the location of a Ruby Vase - I had just already picked it up).
Collect Jade Vases
* Get 5 Jade Vases
These Jade Vases are far more common on the map, as you'll simply need to collect more of them. You'll find them behind bushes, near Rams or by other obstacles. It should be pointed out that there are more than five Jade Vases on the map for you to collect, giving you the chance to use some strategy in your choices. If you see a Ram directly nearby a Vase, or tons of obstacles standing between you and a Vase, it might be better to skip it and save your energy points for Vases later in the Expedition.
All told, this isn't an incredibly difficult Expedition in terms of the quests you're required to beat; instead, it's simply one of the most energy intensive tasks we've seen to date due to all of the Rams (and their eight hit points each) standing in your way. You can avoid some Rams altogether, if you plan your moves ahead of time, and your friends can come in and help you out with their free three energy. Still, you'll need to be vigilant if you want to finish this Expedition in the short four-hour time limit you've been given, so make sure you're fully prepared (with a full energy bar) before you ever begin!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Ram Runner Expedition? Is it one of the most difficult Expeditions you've encountered so far, or are your tools upgraded enough to make this one simple? Sound off in the comments.
Claim the Ram Stein!
* Get the Ram Stein
For this particular Expedition, your goal will be to make it from one end of the linear trail to the other, while defeating Rams in the process. From the starting gate, you're met with two sets of traps, allowing two sets of Rams (with eight hit points each) to come after you when disarmed. You'll have to set the Rams free, however, as the traps block your path to continue. The truly unfortunate thing about this is that if you don't have a very highly upgraded Whip, you'll likely spend most if not all of your energy in just defeating the four of them. Luckily, you can bring five neighbors into this Expedition with you, giving you three bonus energy each (once they accept your request for help, that is), so you should be able to continue slightly onward after fighting these Rams with their help. The Stein itself is located on the last "island," as seen below.
Collect Ruby Vases
* Get 2 Ruby Vases
As usual, these Ruby Vases are scattered along the path, with most being blocked by some sort of obstacle, whether that be a rock, bush, thorn or otherwise. You only need to collect two, and you can find two on one of the central islands, as seen below (note: the empty square is the location of a Ruby Vase - I had just already picked it up).
Collect Jade Vases
* Get 5 Jade Vases
These Jade Vases are far more common on the map, as you'll simply need to collect more of them. You'll find them behind bushes, near Rams or by other obstacles. It should be pointed out that there are more than five Jade Vases on the map for you to collect, giving you the chance to use some strategy in your choices. If you see a Ram directly nearby a Vase, or tons of obstacles standing between you and a Vase, it might be better to skip it and save your energy points for Vases later in the Expedition.
All told, this isn't an incredibly difficult Expedition in terms of the quests you're required to beat; instead, it's simply one of the most energy intensive tasks we've seen to date due to all of the Rams (and their eight hit points each) standing in your way. You can avoid some Rams altogether, if you plan your moves ahead of time, and your friends can come in and help you out with their free three energy. Still, you'll need to be vigilant if you want to finish this Expedition in the short four-hour time limit you've been given, so make sure you're fully prepared (with a full energy bar) before you ever begin!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Ram Runner Expedition? Is it one of the most difficult Expeditions you've encountered so far, or are your tools upgraded enough to make this one simple? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: Earn a free Monkey for playing Adventure World
Apparently, the 19 million people already playing Adventure World isn't enough for Zynga, as the two teams behind FarmVille and Adventure World have teamed up in a new cross-promotion, aiming to get people to try out the company's newest game for more than just a few minutes. To be specific, the next time you login to FarmVille, you'll likely receive a pop-up letting you know of the new promotion. Note: the pop-up will likely have a broken image on it; apparently the FarmVille team didn't test the pop-up before pushing it live. The text, however, is intact.
The rules of this cross-promotion are simple: you'll just need to follow the in-game link to Adventure World and reach Level 5 before October 5. If you can accomplish that, you'll receive a free FarmVille Monkey. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned broken image, we can't see exactly what this (hopefully cute) monkey looks like, but the fact that he's available for free makes me want him either way (I'd imagine I'm not alone).
If you've yet to try Adventure World, make sure to check out our many guides for the game's Expeditions and story quests, so that you can level up to that Level 5 milestone as quickly as possible. For everyone else, who is already a Level 5 Adventurer, you'll only need to sit tight and wait for your prize to arrive next month.
Will you play Adventure World just to receive a free FarmVille Monkey? Let us know in the comments.
The rules of this cross-promotion are simple: you'll just need to follow the in-game link to Adventure World and reach Level 5 before October 5. If you can accomplish that, you'll receive a free FarmVille Monkey. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned broken image, we can't see exactly what this (hopefully cute) monkey looks like, but the fact that he's available for free makes me want him either way (I'd imagine I'm not alone).
If you've yet to try Adventure World, make sure to check out our many guides for the game's Expeditions and story quests, so that you can level up to that Level 5 milestone as quickly as possible. For everyone else, who is already a Level 5 Adventurer, you'll only need to sit tight and wait for your prize to arrive next month.
Will you play Adventure World just to receive a free FarmVille Monkey? Let us know in the comments.
Zynga partners with Pizza Hut across CityVille, FarmVille and more
Zynga isn't a stranger to charitable donations, so it comes as no surprise that the major developer has launched another charity project across four of its Facebook games this weekend. This promotion comes by way of a partnership with Pizza Hut, in an effort to "share a slice of hope" with the World Hunger Relief campaign.
Specifically, this promotion is available through the company's RewardVille rewards program, and offers a single prize in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. For each donation of $5 US or more, you'll receive your choice of one of the four items. Here's a rundown of what's available:
FarmVille: Food Wagon
CityVille: Nutrition Center
Empires & Allies: Farm
Pioneer Trail: Merino Sheep
To be especially clear, you must contribute at least $5 to the cause to be eligible for a prize, and you'll only receive a single prize (of your choosing) for each donation. If you play all four of these games and want all four prizes, you'll need to make five separate donations (for a minimum of $20 in total).
This promotion is set to run from September 25 (now) and October 31, giving you plenty of time to make a few donations if you choose. Here's the link to the donation site if you'd like to help out.
Will you donate to the Pizza Hut and Zynga World Hunger Relief event? Which of the four items are you going after, or will you donate enough to earn multiple items? Sound off in the comments.
Specifically, this promotion is available through the company's RewardVille rewards program, and offers a single prize in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. For each donation of $5 US or more, you'll receive your choice of one of the four items. Here's a rundown of what's available:
FarmVille: Food Wagon
CityVille: Nutrition Center
Empires & Allies: Farm
Pioneer Trail: Merino Sheep
To be especially clear, you must contribute at least $5 to the cause to be eligible for a prize, and you'll only receive a single prize (of your choosing) for each donation. If you play all four of these games and want all four prizes, you'll need to make five separate donations (for a minimum of $20 in total).
This promotion is set to run from September 25 (now) and October 31, giving you plenty of time to make a few donations if you choose. Here's the link to the donation site if you'd like to help out.
Will you donate to the Pizza Hut and Zynga World Hunger Relief event? Which of the four items are you going after, or will you donate enough to earn multiple items? Sound off in the comments.
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 10, 2011
Adventure World rockets to over 9 million players, thanks to promotions
Adventure World Mafia Wars promo
And it did so in just under five days. According to Appdata, Zynga's newest release, Adventure World, has finally found its second wind, gaining over 8 million players in almost five days. If you remember, Zynga Boston's debut game sat stagnant at under 500,000 players for over a week after its release. This wild growth is likely thanks to one thing: cross promotions.
Zynga has finally taken advantage of (some of) its 267 million players to give Adventure World some much needed exposure. During its first week on Facebook, the game enjoyed little to no cross promotion between the company's existing games aside from banner ads and the like. But now, Adventure World can be found in games like Mafia Wars through special promotions.
In this particular case, Mafia Wars players have until Sept. 30 to reach Level 5 in Adventure World and receive a special item for their digital mafia don, an Ancient Hammer. While the item won't exactly wow veteran Mafia Wars players, it at least has value to collectors. Before that, we saw hints of Adventure World being advertised within FarmVille, which has yet to happen.
So, you can only imagine how far Adventure World would go if such involved promotions were featured in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. However, we were under the impression that this type of cross promotion was through with the release of RewardVille, Zynga's cross-game achievement system that rewards players for using all of its games daily.
Unfortunately, it seems as if the developer can't avoid such arguably invasive practices if it wants all of its games to succeed. And that could ultimately rekindle the ire of its players, many of which are already fed up with resurgent demands to enter new games for items within their favorite games. (Hence the creation of RewardVille.)
Zynga looks like it's more dependent than ever on its swath of existing players, but the developer might want to cook up a more elegant solution of getting those players to play its new games. If not, Zynga might run the risk of losing its most powerful method of growth: the players it already has.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think players would up and leave if Zynga turned up the heat on its in-game cross promotions once again? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
And it did so in just under five days. According to Appdata, Zynga's newest release, Adventure World, has finally found its second wind, gaining over 8 million players in almost five days. If you remember, Zynga Boston's debut game sat stagnant at under 500,000 players for over a week after its release. This wild growth is likely thanks to one thing: cross promotions.
Zynga has finally taken advantage of (some of) its 267 million players to give Adventure World some much needed exposure. During its first week on Facebook, the game enjoyed little to no cross promotion between the company's existing games aside from banner ads and the like. But now, Adventure World can be found in games like Mafia Wars through special promotions.
In this particular case, Mafia Wars players have until Sept. 30 to reach Level 5 in Adventure World and receive a special item for their digital mafia don, an Ancient Hammer. While the item won't exactly wow veteran Mafia Wars players, it at least has value to collectors. Before that, we saw hints of Adventure World being advertised within FarmVille, which has yet to happen.
So, you can only imagine how far Adventure World would go if such involved promotions were featured in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. However, we were under the impression that this type of cross promotion was through with the release of RewardVille, Zynga's cross-game achievement system that rewards players for using all of its games daily.
Unfortunately, it seems as if the developer can't avoid such arguably invasive practices if it wants all of its games to succeed. And that could ultimately rekindle the ire of its players, many of which are already fed up with resurgent demands to enter new games for items within their favorite games. (Hence the creation of RewardVille.)
Zynga looks like it's more dependent than ever on its swath of existing players, but the developer might want to cook up a more elegant solution of getting those players to play its new games. If not, Zynga might run the risk of losing its most powerful method of growth: the players it already has.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think players would up and leave if Zynga turned up the heat on its in-game cross promotions once again? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
f8 Developers Conference: Facebook game shares move to the Ticker
Super Mario Facebook Share
You know those annoying pop-ups Facebook displays whenever you try to share something in FarmVille or what have you? Soon, those might be a thing of the past, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook boss announced the change in brief during the f8 Facebook Developers Conference, referring to a particularly hilarious Internet meme.
This change applies to Facebook apps across the board, but, of course, we're concerned with the games. According to Zuckerberg, sharing activity will be directly and automatically published to the News Feed or the Games Ticker, depending on what exactly it is you're sharing. And with that comes the privacy concerns.
Judging from Zuckerberg's brief mention of the change, this would cause apps to inform users upon installation exactly what activity they will automatically share. This information is extremely early, but we imagine that, if developers like Zynga were to implement this change, that players would have the be informed of those changes.
Later in the presentation, Zuckerberg mentioned that games will take even more advantage of the Games Ticker, which launched earlier this summer. The Facebook chief showed an instance in which a friend played the word "TEXT" against another in Words With Friends, which was displayed on the Games Ticker. He then proceeded to mouse over that Ticker notification, and it displayed a snapshot of the game board.
Words with Friends Share
Of course, you could then jump into the game and start a match with either player. In short, the day of the game-stopping share notification will soon be over. In its place, much of the viral sharing in Facebook games seems as if it will take place in the Games Ticker. It appears that these changes have already taken place in Words With Friends.
When these specific changes will take place has yet to be announced, though we imagine much of them will be up to the developers. And if FarmVille players' reactions to when Zynga made similar changes to its flagship game is any indication, we're opinons will be ... mixed. We'll keep you posted.
What do you think of Facebook doing away with the game share notifications, automating them and moving them into the Games Ticker? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
You know those annoying pop-ups Facebook displays whenever you try to share something in FarmVille or what have you? Soon, those might be a thing of the past, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook boss announced the change in brief during the f8 Facebook Developers Conference, referring to a particularly hilarious Internet meme.
This change applies to Facebook apps across the board, but, of course, we're concerned with the games. According to Zuckerberg, sharing activity will be directly and automatically published to the News Feed or the Games Ticker, depending on what exactly it is you're sharing. And with that comes the privacy concerns.
Judging from Zuckerberg's brief mention of the change, this would cause apps to inform users upon installation exactly what activity they will automatically share. This information is extremely early, but we imagine that, if developers like Zynga were to implement this change, that players would have the be informed of those changes.
Later in the presentation, Zuckerberg mentioned that games will take even more advantage of the Games Ticker, which launched earlier this summer. The Facebook chief showed an instance in which a friend played the word "TEXT" against another in Words With Friends, which was displayed on the Games Ticker. He then proceeded to mouse over that Ticker notification, and it displayed a snapshot of the game board.
Words with Friends Share
Of course, you could then jump into the game and start a match with either player. In short, the day of the game-stopping share notification will soon be over. In its place, much of the viral sharing in Facebook games seems as if it will take place in the Games Ticker. It appears that these changes have already taken place in Words With Friends.
When these specific changes will take place has yet to be announced, though we imagine much of them will be up to the developers. And if FarmVille players' reactions to when Zynga made similar changes to its flagship game is any indication, we're opinons will be ... mixed. We'll keep you posted.
What do you think of Facebook doing away with the game share notifications, automating them and moving them into the Games Ticker? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Have fun getting lost in Aliciafay03's farm maze
Don't let the look of this farm fool you. Because the first thing someone would notice about Aliciafay03's FarmVille farm is that she's got "FARM VILLE" spelled out in an outline of red, orange, and blue hay bales, which I know isn't a big whoop. Hay bales as a design element have gotten pretty stale in the landscaping community. Bales are good for spelling out visual shout-outs, portraits, and the occasional fun art (care for a whopper?), but there's rarely any impressive ones anymore. But look closer at Aliciafay03's farm, and you'll realize that it's an interactive maze.
Originally designed to be a cornfield maze, Aliciafay03 was eager to debut her farm for Zynga's official Farm of the Week contest, so she released her entry before the corn had a chance to grow. This is probably better, cause a cornfield would've obscured all the clever lettering. What we know about hay bales is that there's a cheat for players to harvest crops faster by trapping your FarmVille farming avatar in hay bales -- now here's where the interactive part comes in -- so if you click one end of this farm, your avatar can't go anywhere but to run through the maze!
Have you ever played in a real cornfield maze? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Originally designed to be a cornfield maze, Aliciafay03 was eager to debut her farm for Zynga's official Farm of the Week contest, so she released her entry before the corn had a chance to grow. This is probably better, cause a cornfield would've obscured all the clever lettering. What we know about hay bales is that there's a cheat for players to harvest crops faster by trapping your FarmVille farming avatar in hay bales -- now here's where the interactive part comes in -- so if you click one end of this farm, your avatar can't go anywhere but to run through the maze!
Have you ever played in a real cornfield maze? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Stadiums full of people become Angry Birds players with Uplause
Could the Angry Birds replace the proverbial demands of "Make Some Noise" at your next baseball game? Maybe not your next one, but soon you could be cheering to fling the irate winged beasts into their plump green enemies. Pocket Gamer reports that Uplause, a Finnish developer of crowd-based games, has rebuilt Angry Birds with its creator, Rovio, into a version controlled by noise.
The self-proclaimed "social game maker for big crowds" has created similar games for use in stadiums for ice hockey games, soccer matches and even music festivals. Over the past summer, Uplause worked with Rovio to create a version of Angry Birds that is controlled using noise as an input device. (Namely, cheering, clapping, stomping and perhaps even booing, we assume.)
"As in the original, there's about a four second period before firing," Uplause CEO Veli-Pekka Marin explained to Pocket Gamer. "For live events, we'd expect each gaming session to take a few minutes." But in that time, thousands of folks will play at the same time. If anything, it's terribly efficient.
While all we know about this seriously social version of Angry Birds is that noise generates power for the game's slingshot, Pocket Gamer guesses that aiming is done automatically. Rovio and Uplause will first test this massive version of Angry Birds at a Formula 1 race taking place in Singapore this weekend, and the company's CMO Peter Vesterbacka sounds excited for its imminent global expansion.
"Through social participation, our fans will get to interact with the Angry Birds in an entirely new way," Vesterbacka said to Pocket Gamer. "We think this new form of gaming will give fans a great opportunity to form a strong emotional connection with the characters." I think Vesterbacka is confusing "emotional connection" with "drunken, crowd-fueled stupor." Check out the video below to get an idea of how it might work. Who knows you might be doing the same thing at the next World Series.
What do you imagine a noise-controlled version of Angry Birds would be like? What other games come to mind when you think of this approach? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The self-proclaimed "social game maker for big crowds" has created similar games for use in stadiums for ice hockey games, soccer matches and even music festivals. Over the past summer, Uplause worked with Rovio to create a version of Angry Birds that is controlled using noise as an input device. (Namely, cheering, clapping, stomping and perhaps even booing, we assume.)
"As in the original, there's about a four second period before firing," Uplause CEO Veli-Pekka Marin explained to Pocket Gamer. "For live events, we'd expect each gaming session to take a few minutes." But in that time, thousands of folks will play at the same time. If anything, it's terribly efficient.
While all we know about this seriously social version of Angry Birds is that noise generates power for the game's slingshot, Pocket Gamer guesses that aiming is done automatically. Rovio and Uplause will first test this massive version of Angry Birds at a Formula 1 race taking place in Singapore this weekend, and the company's CMO Peter Vesterbacka sounds excited for its imminent global expansion.
"Through social participation, our fans will get to interact with the Angry Birds in an entirely new way," Vesterbacka said to Pocket Gamer. "We think this new form of gaming will give fans a great opportunity to form a strong emotional connection with the characters." I think Vesterbacka is confusing "emotional connection" with "drunken, crowd-fueled stupor." Check out the video below to get an idea of how it might work. Who knows you might be doing the same thing at the next World Series.
What do you imagine a noise-controlled version of Angry Birds would be like? What other games come to mind when you think of this approach? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Bravo gifts turtle with instant cable TV fame and a Facebook game
Andy Cohen Watch What Happens Live turtle mascot eating
Just when we thought we've seen everything, US cable TV network Bravo is launching a Facebook game where you get to dress up their latest celebrity -- she's a turtle. I don't mean she's reclusive or anything. I mean that literally: She is a turtle, but she's not just any turtle. This is a turtle that caught the eye of Bravo's Executive Vice President of Original Programming, also known as Andy Cohen, and host of Bravo TV's Watch What Happens: Live.
The turle has been selected as the show's new mascot and will make her first appearance on Sept. 25. Her Facebook game will be called "Turtle Time", named after a TV episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York, where one of the drunk stars made a toast at "Fat Turtle", a bar and dance club in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
The Facebook game's objective is to design the turtle's tank and dress her up each week. There will be options to gift decorations to friends in the game, or to use Facebook Credits to buy special items. Results will be posted online, voting will commence, winners will be chosen and live versions of these designs will then be used on the show. Finally, when the season ends in December, Cohen will choose a past winner to fly to New York for a live taping and chance to meet the turtle.
What does the turtle have to say about all this? Here's a quote from Bravo's cheeky press release:
"Ever since I landed on the shores of Sag Harbor, I have been searching for my big break in show biz. When Andy Cohen came walking down those golden sands, I knew my dreams were coming true," Divulged Yet-To-Be-Named Turtle. "I can't wait to move into the Bravo Clubhouse and to be dressed in the latest fashions."
Oh, and before anyone runs to the nearest phone to alert PETA, Bravo has contacted the American Humane Association for an animal safety monitor who'll oversee the tapings according to the Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals In Filmed Media. There's no word if there's someone to monitor the turtle's dignity, but I think that's irretrievable at this point.
[Hat-tip: The Hollywood Reporter]
Is this cruel and/or unusual treatment of animals? Or just some harmless and wacky fun? Have you lost your faith in humanity yet? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Just when we thought we've seen everything, US cable TV network Bravo is launching a Facebook game where you get to dress up their latest celebrity -- she's a turtle. I don't mean she's reclusive or anything. I mean that literally: She is a turtle, but she's not just any turtle. This is a turtle that caught the eye of Bravo's Executive Vice President of Original Programming, also known as Andy Cohen, and host of Bravo TV's Watch What Happens: Live.
The turle has been selected as the show's new mascot and will make her first appearance on Sept. 25. Her Facebook game will be called "Turtle Time", named after a TV episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York, where one of the drunk stars made a toast at "Fat Turtle", a bar and dance club in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
The Facebook game's objective is to design the turtle's tank and dress her up each week. There will be options to gift decorations to friends in the game, or to use Facebook Credits to buy special items. Results will be posted online, voting will commence, winners will be chosen and live versions of these designs will then be used on the show. Finally, when the season ends in December, Cohen will choose a past winner to fly to New York for a live taping and chance to meet the turtle.
What does the turtle have to say about all this? Here's a quote from Bravo's cheeky press release:
"Ever since I landed on the shores of Sag Harbor, I have been searching for my big break in show biz. When Andy Cohen came walking down those golden sands, I knew my dreams were coming true," Divulged Yet-To-Be-Named Turtle. "I can't wait to move into the Bravo Clubhouse and to be dressed in the latest fashions."
Oh, and before anyone runs to the nearest phone to alert PETA, Bravo has contacted the American Humane Association for an animal safety monitor who'll oversee the tapings according to the Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals In Filmed Media. There's no word if there's someone to monitor the turtle's dignity, but I think that's irretrievable at this point.
[Hat-tip: The Hollywood Reporter]
Is this cruel and/or unusual treatment of animals? Or just some harmless and wacky fun? Have you lost your faith in humanity yet? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Chủ Nhật, 2 tháng 10, 2011
f8 Developers Conference: Facebook game shares move to the Ticker
Super Mario Facebook Share
You know those annoying pop-ups Facebook displays whenever you try to share something in FarmVille or what have you? Soon, those might be a thing of the past, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook boss announced the change in brief during the f8 Facebook Developers Conference, referring to a particularly hilarious Internet meme.
This change applies to Facebook apps across the board, but, of course, we're concerned with the games. According to Zuckerberg, sharing activity will be directly and automatically published to the News Feed or the Games Ticker, depending on what exactly it is you're sharing. And with that comes the privacy concerns.
Judging from Zuckerberg's brief mention of the change, this would cause apps to inform users upon installation exactly what activity they will automatically share. This information is extremely early, but we imagine that, if developers like Zynga were to implement this change, that players would have the be informed of those changes.
Later in the presentation, Zuckerberg mentioned that games will take even more advantage of the Games Ticker, which launched earlier this summer. The Facebook chief showed an instance in which a friend played the word "TEXT" against another in Words With Friends, which was displayed on the Games Ticker. He then proceeded to mouse over that Ticker notification, and it displayed a snapshot of the game board.
Words with Friends Share
Of course, you could then jump into the game and start a match with either player. In short, the day of the game-stopping share notification will soon be over. In its place, much of the viral sharing in Facebook games seems as if it will take place in the Games Ticker. It appears that these changes have already taken place in Words With Friends.
When these specific changes will take place has yet to be announced, though we imagine much of them will be up to the developers. And if FarmVille players' reactions to when Zynga made similar changes to its flagship game is any indication, we're opinons will be ... mixed. We'll keep you posted.
What do you think of Facebook doing away with the game share notifications, automating them and moving them into the Games Ticker? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
You know those annoying pop-ups Facebook displays whenever you try to share something in FarmVille or what have you? Soon, those might be a thing of the past, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook boss announced the change in brief during the f8 Facebook Developers Conference, referring to a particularly hilarious Internet meme.
This change applies to Facebook apps across the board, but, of course, we're concerned with the games. According to Zuckerberg, sharing activity will be directly and automatically published to the News Feed or the Games Ticker, depending on what exactly it is you're sharing. And with that comes the privacy concerns.
Judging from Zuckerberg's brief mention of the change, this would cause apps to inform users upon installation exactly what activity they will automatically share. This information is extremely early, but we imagine that, if developers like Zynga were to implement this change, that players would have the be informed of those changes.
Later in the presentation, Zuckerberg mentioned that games will take even more advantage of the Games Ticker, which launched earlier this summer. The Facebook chief showed an instance in which a friend played the word "TEXT" against another in Words With Friends, which was displayed on the Games Ticker. He then proceeded to mouse over that Ticker notification, and it displayed a snapshot of the game board.
Words with Friends Share
Of course, you could then jump into the game and start a match with either player. In short, the day of the game-stopping share notification will soon be over. In its place, much of the viral sharing in Facebook games seems as if it will take place in the Games Ticker. It appears that these changes have already taken place in Words With Friends.
When these specific changes will take place has yet to be announced, though we imagine much of them will be up to the developers. And if FarmVille players' reactions to when Zynga made similar changes to its flagship game is any indication, we're opinons will be ... mixed. We'll keep you posted.
What do you think of Facebook doing away with the game share notifications, automating them and moving them into the Games Ticker? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Have fun getting lost in Aliciafay03's farm maze
Click the image to make it larger.
Don't let the look of this farm fool you. Because the first thing someone would notice about Aliciafay03's FarmVille farm is that she's got "FARM VILLE" spelled out in an outline of red, orange, and blue hay bales, which I know isn't a big whoop. Hay bales as a design element have gotten pretty stale in the landscaping community. Bales are good for spelling out visual shout-outs, portraits, and the occasional fun art (care for a whopper?), but there's rarely any impressive ones anymore. But look closer at Aliciafay03's farm, and you'll realize that it's an interactive maze.
Originally designed to be a cornfield maze, Aliciafay03 was eager to debut her farm for Zynga's official Farm of the Week contest, so she released her entry before the corn had a chance to grow. This is probably better, cause a cornfield would've obscured all the clever lettering. What we know about hay bales is that there's a cheat for players to harvest crops faster by trapping your FarmVille farming avatar in hay bales -- now here's where the interactive part comes in -- so if you click one end of this farm, your avatar can't go anywhere but to run through the maze!
Have you ever played in a real cornfield maze? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Don't let the look of this farm fool you. Because the first thing someone would notice about Aliciafay03's FarmVille farm is that she's got "FARM VILLE" spelled out in an outline of red, orange, and blue hay bales, which I know isn't a big whoop. Hay bales as a design element have gotten pretty stale in the landscaping community. Bales are good for spelling out visual shout-outs, portraits, and the occasional fun art (care for a whopper?), but there's rarely any impressive ones anymore. But look closer at Aliciafay03's farm, and you'll realize that it's an interactive maze.
Originally designed to be a cornfield maze, Aliciafay03 was eager to debut her farm for Zynga's official Farm of the Week contest, so she released her entry before the corn had a chance to grow. This is probably better, cause a cornfield would've obscured all the clever lettering. What we know about hay bales is that there's a cheat for players to harvest crops faster by trapping your FarmVille farming avatar in hay bales -- now here's where the interactive part comes in -- so if you click one end of this farm, your avatar can't go anywhere but to run through the maze!
Have you ever played in a real cornfield maze? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Stadiums full of people become Angry Birds players with Uplause
Could the Angry Birds replace the proverbial demands of "Make Some Noise" at your next baseball game? Maybe not your next one, but soon you could be cheering to fling the irate winged beasts into their plump green enemies. Pocket Gamer reports that Uplause, a Finnish developer of crowd-based games, has rebuilt Angry Birds with its creator, Rovio, into a version controlled by noise.
The self-proclaimed "social game maker for big crowds" has created similar games for use in stadiums for ice hockey games, soccer matches and even music festivals. Over the past summer, Uplause worked with Rovio to create a version of Angry Birds that is controlled using noise as an input device. (Namely, cheering, clapping, stomping and perhaps even booing, we assume.)
"As in the original, there's about a four second period before firing," Uplause CEO Veli-Pekka Marin explained to Pocket Gamer. "For live events, we'd expect each gaming session to take a few minutes." But in that time, thousands of folks will play at the same time. If anything, it's terribly efficient.
While all we know about this seriously social version of Angry Birds is that noise generates power for the game's slingshot, Pocket Gamer guesses that aiming is done automatically. Rovio and Uplause will first test this massive version of Angry Birds at a Formula 1 race taking place in Singapore this weekend, and the company's CMO Peter Vesterbacka sounds excited for its imminent global expansion.
"Through social participation, our fans will get to interact with the Angry Birds in an entirely new way," Vesterbacka said to Pocket Gamer. "We think this new form of gaming will give fans a great opportunity to form a strong emotional connection with the characters." I think Vesterbacka is confusing "emotional connection" with "drunken, crowd-fueled stupor." Check out the video below to get an idea of how it might work. Who knows you might be doing the same thing at the next World Series.
What do you imagine a noise-controlled version of Angry Birds would be like? What other games come to mind when you think of this approach? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The self-proclaimed "social game maker for big crowds" has created similar games for use in stadiums for ice hockey games, soccer matches and even music festivals. Over the past summer, Uplause worked with Rovio to create a version of Angry Birds that is controlled using noise as an input device. (Namely, cheering, clapping, stomping and perhaps even booing, we assume.)
"As in the original, there's about a four second period before firing," Uplause CEO Veli-Pekka Marin explained to Pocket Gamer. "For live events, we'd expect each gaming session to take a few minutes." But in that time, thousands of folks will play at the same time. If anything, it's terribly efficient.
While all we know about this seriously social version of Angry Birds is that noise generates power for the game's slingshot, Pocket Gamer guesses that aiming is done automatically. Rovio and Uplause will first test this massive version of Angry Birds at a Formula 1 race taking place in Singapore this weekend, and the company's CMO Peter Vesterbacka sounds excited for its imminent global expansion.
"Through social participation, our fans will get to interact with the Angry Birds in an entirely new way," Vesterbacka said to Pocket Gamer. "We think this new form of gaming will give fans a great opportunity to form a strong emotional connection with the characters." I think Vesterbacka is confusing "emotional connection" with "drunken, crowd-fueled stupor." Check out the video below to get an idea of how it might work. Who knows you might be doing the same thing at the next World Series.
What do you imagine a noise-controlled version of Angry Birds would be like? What other games come to mind when you think of this approach? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Bravo gifts turtle with instant cable TV fame and a Facebook game
Andy Cohen Watch What Happens Live turtle mascot eating
Just when we thought we've seen everything, US cable TV network Bravo is launching a Facebook game where you get to dress up their latest celebrity -- she's a turtle. I don't mean she's reclusive or anything. I mean that literally: She is a turtle, but she's not just any turtle. This is a turtle that caught the eye of Bravo's Executive Vice President of Original Programming, also known as Andy Cohen, and host of Bravo TV's Watch What Happens: Live.
The turle has been selected as the show's new mascot and will make her first appearance on Sept. 25. Her Facebook game will be called "Turtle Time", named after a TV episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York, where one of the drunk stars made a toast at "Fat Turtle", a bar and dance club in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
The Facebook game's objective is to design the turtle's tank and dress her up each week. There will be options to gift decorations to friends in the game, or to use Facebook Credits to buy special items. Results will be posted online, voting will commence, winners will be chosen and live versions of these designs will then be used on the show. Finally, when the season ends in December, Cohen will choose a past winner to fly to New York for a live taping and chance to meet the turtle.
What does the turtle have to say about all this? Here's a quote from Bravo's cheeky press release:
"Ever since I landed on the shores of Sag Harbor, I have been searching for my big break in show biz. When Andy Cohen came walking down those golden sands, I knew my dreams were coming true," Divulged Yet-To-Be-Named Turtle. "I can't wait to move into the Bravo Clubhouse and to be dressed in the latest fashions."
Oh, and before anyone runs to the nearest phone to alert PETA, Bravo has contacted the American Humane Association for an animal safety monitor who'll oversee the tapings according to the Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals In Filmed Media. There's no word if there's someone to monitor the turtle's dignity, but I think that's irretrievable at this point.
[Hat-tip: The Hollywood Reporter]
Is this cruel and/or unusual treatment of animals? Or just some harmless and wacky fun? Have you lost your faith in humanity yet? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Just when we thought we've seen everything, US cable TV network Bravo is launching a Facebook game where you get to dress up their latest celebrity -- she's a turtle. I don't mean she's reclusive or anything. I mean that literally: She is a turtle, but she's not just any turtle. This is a turtle that caught the eye of Bravo's Executive Vice President of Original Programming, also known as Andy Cohen, and host of Bravo TV's Watch What Happens: Live.
The turle has been selected as the show's new mascot and will make her first appearance on Sept. 25. Her Facebook game will be called "Turtle Time", named after a TV episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York, where one of the drunk stars made a toast at "Fat Turtle", a bar and dance club in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
The Facebook game's objective is to design the turtle's tank and dress her up each week. There will be options to gift decorations to friends in the game, or to use Facebook Credits to buy special items. Results will be posted online, voting will commence, winners will be chosen and live versions of these designs will then be used on the show. Finally, when the season ends in December, Cohen will choose a past winner to fly to New York for a live taping and chance to meet the turtle.
What does the turtle have to say about all this? Here's a quote from Bravo's cheeky press release:
"Ever since I landed on the shores of Sag Harbor, I have been searching for my big break in show biz. When Andy Cohen came walking down those golden sands, I knew my dreams were coming true," Divulged Yet-To-Be-Named Turtle. "I can't wait to move into the Bravo Clubhouse and to be dressed in the latest fashions."
Oh, and before anyone runs to the nearest phone to alert PETA, Bravo has contacted the American Humane Association for an animal safety monitor who'll oversee the tapings according to the Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals In Filmed Media. There's no word if there's someone to monitor the turtle's dignity, but I think that's irretrievable at this point.
[Hat-tip: The Hollywood Reporter]
Is this cruel and/or unusual treatment of animals? Or just some harmless and wacky fun? Have you lost your faith in humanity yet? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)