An Audience with Lord British 06:15 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: MMOG
(5 comments)
Last week in Vegas we got a chance to hang out with Game God Richard "Lord British" Garriott to learn more about his upcoming MMORPG, Tabula Rasa. Lord British, as I am sure you are already aware of, is the man behind the outstanding Ultima series and the father of the massively multiplayer genre. In part one of our interview, Lord British gives an update on the current state of Tabula Rasa, shares his views on the genre in general, and talks at length about some of the features in the game. Here's a taste:
VE3D: Which features of the game have you guys been focusing on most in the last few months?
Richard Garriott: I'd say missions and combat are the two areas we've been focusing on most. Hopefully what you got a taste of, even at E3, is what I believe is a powerful blend of user-interface style. Instead of like with most MMOs in combat, you highlight a target, then you ignore the target, because he's just going to stand there and whack you—and you are staring at the interface and clicking fireball/fireball/swordswing/healing potion—Tabula Rasa is a game where you're really shooting through the reticle. You're constantly observing what's happening on the screen where you're aiming. It's still a role-playing game in the sense of when you shoot at something, it's based on your equipment and attributes as to who will be injured…but they're not just sitting there hitting you. Your opponent is moving and is aware of, say, if you're behind sand bags, he has a lower probability of hitting you, so he may instead run around to the side, kick you to the ground and start rifle-butting you as required, or however they can find their best position to engage you.
So it's no longer what I consider plodding-MMO-historical-type. This is an action-based role-playing game where you're having to pay more attention to what's going on on the battlefield.
Valve Weekly Update 05:58 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(9 comments)
The latest Steam update reveals that Valve is now offering pre-loads for Bioware's Jade Empire, plus also chats a bit about Episode 2:
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 is being playtested here at Valve regularly now, and one of the pieces of the game that's getting strong reactions from our testers is driving the game's new vehicle. This thing's got some major horsepower.
Sweet, they got the General Lee! Now to put some Daisy Dukes on Alysx...
(Click to Enlarge!)
 
TES4: Oblivion - Shivering Isles Info 05:53 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Role-Playing
(0 comments)
Planet Elder Scrolls launched a new section covering the upcoming expansion, Shivering Isles. There, you can learn more about what's in it, how the different versions are different (PC vs 360 vs PS3) and oh-so much more.
In related news, Andy went to a German SI preview event today, so look forward to some more Shivering Isles goodness later.
Gamer Girls More Slutty? 04:19 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(13 comments)
Are girls who play games more prone to having a healthier sexual appetite than ladies who don't? Yep:
It's official - women who play video games have sex more often! Gametart, the UK's largest online games rental company, carried out the survey throughout January to see how the recent influx of the likes of Pink PSPs and DS Lites would affect gamers' sex lives across the country.
The results were surprising.
Of our sample of 200 women, those who played video games on average had sex 4.3 times a week while those who didn't play games only had sex just 3.2 times a week.
DX10 Cards on the Cheap in Q2 03:12 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- hardware: NVIDIA
(11 comments)
Digitimes reports that NVIDIA will be releasing its Geforce 8600 series in Q2 of this year:
According to the release plan several versions are currently being prepared, the sources claim. The GeForce 8600 GT with 512MB memory will be priced between US$219 and US$229, while a 256MB version will be available at US$199. Additionally, targeting an even lower price point will be the GeForce 8600GS at between US$159 and US$165, the sources have revealed.
Thanks [H].
Star Wars Force Unleashed Tech Demos 03:04 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Consoles: Xbox 360
(13 comments)
IGN has a couple new tech demo videos for Star Wars Force Unleashed (DMM and Euphoria). The resolutions offered aren't the greatest, but interesting viewing nonetheless.
The History of EA 02:44 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(1 comment)
Gamasutra has an interesting piece up today called We See Farther: A History of Electronic Arts which, as you might've guessed, looks back at the company's roots. Flush with cash from Apple's IPO, Hawkins knew that it was time for him to make his move. "Right on schedule, I resigned from Apple in January, 1982, but they convinced me to stay a bit longer. I finally left for good in April and on my own I incorporated EA on May 28, 1982. I personally funded it for the next six months. Initially, I worked by myself out of my home, and then in August began using an office at Sequoia Capital, where I also began hiring the early employees." San Mateo, California would become their permanent headquarters for many years until a 1998 move to nearby Redwood City.
The only thing left to do was come up with a name. "The original name had been Amazin' Software. But I wanted to recognize software as an art form and wanted to change it to SoftArt. But Dan Bricklin of Software Arts asked us not to use that name. So, in October of 1982 I called a meeting of our first twelve employees and our outside marketing agency and we brainstormed and decided to change it to Electronic Arts." Thanks Slashdot.
Age of Conan Update 01:52 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: MMOG
(0 comments)
This week's Age of Conan update is a class preview of the Herald of Xotli:
The arcane and twisted pacts that have allowed the Herald to call upon the power of Xotli mean that they are powerful and dreaded foes in combat. Whereas other priests or students of the demonic arts can call upon the servants or blessing of their respective deities the Herald actually transforms themselves into a walking incarnation of Xotli's wrath.
In battle, the Herald transforms into a demon, preferring to melee opponents and feel the enemy's flesh tear rather than rely on spells, although they retain a powerful arsenal of spells to call upon as needed. With their frenzied appearance and blood soaked muscles rippling with demonic strength the Herald becomes one of the most fearsome sights on the battlefield.
While many of the Herald's abilities concentrate on strengthening themselves and their allies they can also call upon the primordial forces of fire and brimstone, hewn from the demonic depths, to smite their foes.
Halo 3 Beta FAQ 01:42 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Consoles: Xbox 360
(1 comment)
Bungie.net poked up a handy F.A.Q. for the Halo 3 beta. Will we all have to sign NDAs and never speak of the beta? Will you try to contain screenshots and movies coming out of the beta?
Nope. In a perfect world, maybe, but it's hard enough when the participants are just a few thousand MS employees, let alone thousands and thousands of Halo fans. We don't expect anything in the beta to remain a secret. The beta will be covered by a normal user agreement, with lots of caveats about the fact that it's not finished, only lasts for a short time and so on.
Empire Earth 3 in Development 01:32 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Real-Time Strategy
(0 comments)
According to PC Gamer UK, Mad Doc Software is currently working on Empire Earth 3, further milking Rick Goodman's history spanning RTS with another sequel. A new freeform campaign structure borrows a few pages from Total War - except rather than being constrained to one period, you play across the entirety of history, starting with clubs and ending with sexy futuretech. Decide where your armies are going to head on the attractive spinning globe - after a suitable pause for cackling "One day all this will be mine, mu-ha-ha" - and then enter a skirmish game to decide who wins and loses. Thanks Shacknews.
Hardware & Tech Nuggets 12:58 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- hardware: General News
(4 comments)
RPG Vault Goodness 12:55 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Role-Playing
(0 comments)
Star Wars Galaxies Chapter 5 Interview
What will the next free add-on, An Entertaining Enterprise, bring to the online offering from Sony and LucasArts? - Includes four exclusive screenshots
Heavy Duty Media #8
As the invaders in Primal's game press forward, you have the option of fighting them personally or auto-combat - Five exclusive screenshots
Jonric's Blog
Myst Online: Uru Live launching, free for GameTap subscribers
Game Reviews 12:44 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
In Other News... 12:25 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- In-House: In Other News...
(23 comments)
Just a few more days until Supreme Commander hits stores. The game runs really well on my old desktop and notebook, so I'll probably hold off on the big upgrade for another month or so.
Today's question is from raistmaj42, who asks:
Do you mind traditional FPS games constantly getting GotY awards or tops in almost all the catagories in which they were nominated just because they're popular, or would you prefer the more unique games that were very well done to take the top awards?
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