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Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast; HDR Information 09:48 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(7 comments)
I just finished watching ATTACK OF TEH SHOW on G4TV which Valve's tall dark and handsome Doug Lombardi was on talking about HDR lighting and the new Lost Coast level in Half-Life 2. To make a long story short, HDR (high dynamic range lighting) is similar technology to id's DOOM III shadows, except it focuses on light instead of darkness. It isn't like the "bloom" effect in Elder Scrolls 4 where everything is all glowie; it just makes the lighting look a lot more realistic. Sounds cool, right? We have good news and bad news. The good news? It's free! The bad news: You're going to need an extremely high end machine for it to work. They didn't specify any hardware by name, but the impression I got is that you're going to need at least a Radeon x800 for it to run. The HDR isn't only for The Lost Coast level however, it will be released as a general upgrade for Half-Life 2, which should give gamers with high end rigs a reason to replay it. When is all of this expected to happen? Within the next couple of weeks. When asked about Team Fortress 2, all Doug said was "soon".
Humpday WPG 06:07 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(3 comments)
- 'Domination' - v2.0.127 Update Patch
- This patch brings your retail game to v2.0.127 and addresses
various game crashes, bugs and implements a few gameplay changes.
- 'DRIV3R' - European Update Patch #2
- This second patch for the European Driv3r edition fixes a
boatload of graphics and sound card problems, and the usual bug and
gameplay fixes.
- 'Elite Warriors: Vietnam' - Demo
- This single/multiplayer demo contains five tutorials missions, one
singleplayer campaign, and two multiplayer maps playable in deathmatch and
co-op.
- 'Taxi 3: eXtreme Rush' - Demo
- This single/multiplayer demo allows you to try out a short street
and drag race with two available cars.
- Various Game Trailers
- 'Darkwatch' (PS2/Xbox) - Trailers (2)
- 'Empire Earth II' (PC) - Peter Calabria Dev Diary Part 1
- 'Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory' (NGC/PS2/Xbox/PC) - TV Commercial #2
Even More WoW FreePlay 03:36 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: MMOG
(7 comments)
Blizzard President Mike Morhaime posted on the official World of WarCraft forums that they would be extending the freeplay another day, due to extended technical difficulties, plus will be offering accelerated XP bonuses. Blizzard added some more hardware as well, so hopefully that will help prevent these sort of things from happening again: Due to the increase in downtime caused by today's hardware maintenance, we will be giving all players with characters on the realms listed below a one-day time extension. In addition, players on the realms below will also receive a rested experience bonus, whether or not they had left their characters logged out at an Inn.
We realize that this extended downtime is very inconvenient, but it is a necessary step for us to take in our efforts to increase performance and stability on these realms. For the last few weeks, these realms have experienced poor stability during peak times, which resulted in NPCs not spawning, lag, and frequent disconnects. We have determined that a large percentage of realms on the same backend infrastructure were operating at maximum capacity. This overpopulation caused problems with the service that ultimately led to the issues mentioned above.
Our first step in trying to alleviate the situation was to offer character transfers to reduce the amount of players on these high-population realms. The character transfers did reduce the total amount of players on the shared infrastructure, and we noticed an immediate performance increase. However, this increase only lasted a few days, as populations continued to rise.
Once it was shown that the character transfers did not sufficiently disperse the population, we began to modify the hardware backend for the affected realms. The most recent and substantial step of that process involved transferring the realm data to a new hardware setup. The goal of this procedure is to decrease the overall load on the infrastructure that the affected realms share.
The new hardware infrastructure was completed yesterday, and we are currently copying the character data from eight of these realms onto the new hardware. This transfer will significantly decrease the load on the current infrastructure, which should result in improved performance on all of the realms listed below. The data transfer is taking us longer than expected, but it is vital for providing stability to these realms.
We are totally committed to providing our players with the best play experience possible, and we will continue to streamline our code and add new hardware to our infrastructure until we accomplish that goal. We once again thank you for your patience during this time, and wish you continued good fortunes on your adventures in Azeroth!
Please note that this time extension discussed above is in addition to the two-day time extension announced yesterday that is being provided to players on all realms.
Thanks World of WarCraft Vault.
Dungeon Lords Q&A; 03:26 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Role-Playing
(0 comments)
Gamespot conjured up an interview with Heuristic Park Producer Mark Harwood about its D.W. Bradley inspired role playing game, Dungeon Lords. Here's the latest on the game's development:
MH: We're in the final stretch now, and we're doing as much as we can to make sure Dungeon Lords is as good as possible. A lot of work has gone into making Dungeon Lords a game that's fun to play and allows people to play in a style of their choosing. With the rapid advances in graphics technology, a lot of games may look better, but they don't offer the richness of experience that we offer in Dungeon Lords. So anyone who's looking for more than just eye candy should give it a shot.
Finally, we'd like to thank all the fans who've taken the time to play the demo and who've offered their insights on our forums. Anyone who's been in there knows that the developers have been reading the posts and are trying to address as many of the comments as possible. It's great that so many people have such a passion for what is admittedly an old-school role-playing game and can judge a game for how it plays...not by a checklist of technical buzzwords.
Pariah Interview 03:00 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(1 comment)
The Man Room interviewed Digital Extremes' James Schmalz about its upcoming cross-platform first person shooter, Pariah. Here's a taste about one of the cooler features in the game:
Tell us a little bit about Weapons Energy Cores and some of the unexpected upgrades they provide.
Each weapon in the game can be upgraded 3 times with Weapon Energy Cores found throughout the single player campaign as well as in the multi-player portion. The weapon upgrades are the coolest part of the gameplay in my opinion. Each upgrade 'costs' a certain number of WEC's so it will stay interesting for the gamer throughout the game to decide when and which weapons to upgrade. A couple of my favorites are with the Grenade Launcher and Rocket Launcher. The Grenade Launcher starts out as a very competent grenade launcher that shoots out grenades that explode after a few seconds or explode on impact with a direct hit. Very usable and quite fun, but the first upgrade which gives you a detonator to time the explosions makes the weapon that much more strategic and lethal, then the next upgrade on that weapon is a 'fragment attractor' or Mag grenades. So when you throw out a grenade it attracts all kinds of metallic debris with it while it's flying through the air; once it reaches its destination it explodes with even more devastation hurling all the metallic flak everywhere...very satisfying.
For the Rocket Launcher, it starts out with some pretty powerful rockets. The first upgrade makes it that much more functional by providing a lock-on feature, ultimately it upgrades to allow you to lock-on to 4 targets at the same time and then reign down terror on them when the rocket splits into 4 and nails all of the targets at the same time.
Empire Earth 2 MP Demo Coming 02:28 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Real-Time Strategy
(1 comment)
VU Games sends word that Mad Doc Software will be releasing a multiplayer demo for Empire Earth 2 on April 4th:
In the Empire Earth II Multiplayer Demo, gamers will experience three of the game's fifteen exciting epochs (Renaissance, Imperial, and Enlightenment) as they match wits with others around the globe in epic battles with up to 10 players. They'll need to adapt their tactics to manage changing seasons and inclement weather as they lead the German, American, or Korean civilizations to victory. Three of the game's nine challenging multiplayer modes -- Conquest, King of the Hill, and Territory Control - are included.
In addition, the Empire Earth II Multiplayer Demo includes an updated version of the first, single-player-only demo that was previously released, adding several new features. These new features include the ability to set variables such as: game pace, starting resources, population cap, diplomatic settings, and weather & environment details before the game starts.
EE2 hits stores on April 28th.
Playstation 3 Premiere Canned 02:24 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Consoles: PS3
(10 comments)
Word from Gamespot is that Sony has cancelled the March PlayStation 3 press briefing it had planned to introduce its next-generation system to the world:
According to Reuters, SCE originally planned to release general details on the PlayStation 3 in March, and then to unveil the actual machine in May at E3 in Los Angeles. Sony told Reuters that it decided to cancel the PS3 meeting because it "would pressure game publishers" if held in March, but left the door open for another pre-E3 event. The company also emphasized that the cancellation is not a sign that the PlayStation 3 development is falling behind, and it still intends to unveil the machine at the E3 at the latest.
F.E.A.R. Preview 01:48 pm
- Jeff Tom
- Games: Action
(1 comment)
C&VG; have slapped up a preview of F.E.A.R., the new first-person shooter from Monolith: So what do we make of our latest reconnaissance of Monolith's finest? Well it is certainly one of the most advanced looking and graphically gorgeous games to release this year and while the next generation of console titles promise much on the visual score, they'll do well to match F.E.A.R.'s looks. Complementing those visuals is a solid and satisfying combat system, some advanced and extremely challenging AI and while the melee component isn't perhaps a major advance forward for the genre, it's still a highly pleasing and indeed challenging way to achieve prestige kills (especially in multiplayer). Perhaps most intriguing of all though is F.E.A.R.'s supernatural story element which certainly adds additional bite to the game and keeps you hooked in the hope of discovering just that little bit more of the storyline.
RPG Vault Morsels 01:45 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Role-Playing
(0 comments)
Brothers in Arms Update 01:44 pm
- Jeff Tom
- Games: Action
(0 comments)
Gearbox's official website have posted a developer diary on how one of the multiplayer missions was created in Brothers in Arms: The initial design process is simple. I and one other designer sit in a room with a whiteboard and go over actual WW2 missions. This is easy, because there were hundreds of missions carried out during the D-day invasion and thousands more over the next few months. We look for a good variety of objectives, locations, and entertaining combat possibilities. Then we use those missions as inspiration for the missions that will go in the final game.
The very first mission we agreed upon was "Ambush at Anterbien". It is as simple as a game of Red Rover. The Americans are trying to get through a town, and the Germans are trying to stop them.
2015 Not Dead Yet 01:39 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(0 comments)
CGM is reporting that Medal of Honor: Allied Assault developer 2015 hasn't closed down, despite various rumors that are floating around: In a phone conversation today, 2015 president Tom Kudirka did say that the company laid off a number of its staff members following the release of Men of Valor last fall. He did not wish to specify how many staff members departed. However, Kudirka did say that the company is still in business and is working on a couple of game projects that are currently being shopped around to publishers.
Heroes of Might & Magic V Announced 01:30 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Turned-Based Strategy
(5 comments)
Ubisoft today announced Heroes of Might & Magic V:
The first game to reintroduce the Might & Magic universe to the public will be Heroes of Might and Magic� V. Gamers will delve into a more mature, consistent fantasy universe that will appeal to fans of all fantasy genres. One of the most successful turn-based strategy* franchises, the Heroes of Might and Magic� series, with its distinctive touch of RPG, is a benchmark in the Heroic Fantasy genre, with considerable commercial and critical acclaim. The new game will benefit from the features and characteristics that established the success of the initial saga while offering a wealth of innovations such as a highly immersive scenario, a variety of appealing factions, modern 3D graphics, a revolutionary tactical combat system, and a story-based campaign mode.
"Ubisoft is pleased to bring back this exceptional series not just for Heroes fans, but to a larger audience that can appreciate the singular combination of a fantasy environment and strategic gameplay," said Alain Corre, Ubisoft's Managing Director for Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. "Online or offline, the breathtaking world to explore, the tactical decisions to make, and the opportunity to build a true Hero will entice players to become a part of the Might & Magic universe."
Battlefield 2 Update 02:47 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(0 comments)
Thanks to Total BF2 for sending word that EA updated the official Battlefield 2 website with a new community update where "Mod expert Lawrence Brown talks about vehicle creation and character animation using the BF2 Editor."
Gamer Killed For Selling Cyber Sword 01:11 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: MMOG
(31 comments)
ABC News Down Under reports that an online gamer was killed in real life due to the fact he sold a sword that wasn't his from a massively multiplayer game:
A Shanghai online game player has stabbed to death a competitor who sold his cyber sword for real money. The sale created a legal dilemma because China has no law covering the ownership of virtual weapons. The China Daily newspaper reported that a Shanghai court was told Qiu Chengwei, 41, stabbed competitor Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest after he was told Zhu had sold his dragon sabre, used in the popular online game Legend of Mir 3.
The online game features heroes and villains, sorcerers and warriors, many of whom wield enormous swords. Qiu and a friend jointly won their virtual weapon last February and lent it to Zhu, who then sold it for 7,200 yuan. Qui went to the police to report the theft but was told the weapon was not real property protected by law.
"Zhu promised to hand over the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest with great force and killing him," the court heard.
Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:01 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- hardware: General News
(0 comments)
Game Reviews 12:36 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(1 comment)
In Other News... 12:03 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- In-House: In Other News...
(42 comments)
As mentioned last week, Valve will be showing off HDR lighting technology as well as a new level for Half-Life 2 called "The Lost Coast" on ATTACK OF TEH SHOW later tonight on G4TV. After seeing that dude get an anal probe on last night's Tom Green episode, I think Doug Lombardi should bring some duck tape and a sewing kit to protect that sweet ass of his. That's one flower I sure he doesn't want to break (although the footage would look pretty cool with that HDR lighting effect going on). I've only seen a couple shows (I think it started on Monday) since it was "The Screen Savers" so I can't really say if I like it or not yet. Some segments are amusing, some are just stupid. It's low budget, late night TV at it's finest! Today's question: If Valve were to sell episodic single player Half-Life 2 contest via Steam, would you buy it? Lets say $4.99 per chapter (4 or 5 levels).
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