2K Games and Firaxis have released the launch trailer for Brave New World, the new DLC pack for Civilization V. Civilization V: Brave New World will be available on July 9, 2013 in North America and internationally on July 12, 2013.
Trailer
Archive - 2013
Recently, we got the chance to send “Thor” from AirSplat.com and the CROW SOG airsoft team some questions for this week’s Airsoft for Gamers article. In the interview, we hit on his background, his opinion of the recent Green Mountain Rangers incident, his current equipment picks, and just what kind of airsoft game he prefers. We would like to thank both Thor and AirSplat for making this interview possible!
Q) Hi Thor! You are a well known figure in the airsoft world. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into the sport?
A) Hey everyone! I come from a 9 year military background. I joined the US Marines in 2001 and served 6 years. Once out out of the Marines, I joined the Army National Guard. I enjoy combat training and was a CQB/MOUnT instructor. I have trained with numerous law enforcement agencies including SWAT teams in my local area. Moreover, I have taught beginner’s tactical training and basic survival skills, all using airsoft guns as training tools. I got into airsoft when I was still in the Marines back in 2004. It started with just myself and a few of my Marine friends shooting each other for fun (Marines are like that). It wasn’t until 2009 that I met the team I would end up joining, CROW SOG and truly getting into the military simulation aspect of airsoft. It is great to keep my training sharp, gets me outside and keeps me active.
Q) How did you get involved with AirSplat.com?
A) One of the other guys on my airsoft team worked for Airsplat. When he decided to move out of state to continue college, he came to me and said that Airsplat was going to be looking for a new YouTube personality. I don’t think he even got the full sentence out before I said “Yes I want to do it!”. He let them know and I came in for test filming. They liked what they saw so I took the torch he passed on.
Q) Are you currently on an active airsoft team? If so, which one and what role do you play on it?
A) I currently play with CROW SOG and they are the team I will play with until I decide I no longer want to play or I physically can’t play any longer. We are a veteran-based team that helps any military veteran integrate back into the civilian world using airsoft. We have both military and civilians on our team and we work together to grow together. We truly are a family and not just an airsoft team. I am the Master Gunnery Sergeant on the team and Lead Sniper. However, when sniping isn’t feasible in a game, I am an Assaulter down in the dirt with the other grunts.
Q) Given your background in actual military service, I am curious if you prefer a more “MilSim” or looser style of play?
A) I like MilSim the best because I can use all my military training and mindset. Another reason why I love MilSim is because I can do things that I could not do in the real military. An example of this comes to mind where in one bigger MilSim game I attended with my team, I ended up sliding over a car hood while shooting my M4 at the enemy. Now, I would never do that in real combat because that’s what gets you hurt or killed. But, in airsoft, why not? Worst case was that I have to walk back to the re-spawn point. MilSim also offers the chance to recreate famous battles from military history, which is really exciting to someone who served.
Q) Where are your favorite airsoft fields located? Do you prefer public games or private owner-sanctioned events?
A) I like to play at all the local airsoft fields in Southern California. For outdoor games, however, my preference would be Jericho Airsoft in Temecula, CA. For indoor play, I enjoy either TacCity in Fullerton, CA or TacCity in South El Monte, CA. I go to public or private games as long as it is a good group attending.
Q) Why would a video gamer want to pursue airsoft as a hobby? What benefits does it provide?
A) I believe the best reason for people who play video games to get into airsoft is to get outside and off the couch. If you have the chance to safely live out the video games you play, in an airsoft game, why wouldn’t you? Another reason is for the realism. Everything you do in all your favorite military video games, you can pretty much do in an airsoft event. You have your missions and objectives, the enemy trying to stop you and, when you get shot, you have to re-spawn to get back in the action.
Q) Talking about gear – what kind of airsoft gun(s) do you use and can you give us any specs on them or perhaps even the kinds of mods you have on them?
A) The airsoft guns I use in almost every game are my Tokyo Marui M4 featuring an upgraded all metal version II gearbox, 6.01 tight-bore barrel, Daniel Defense rails, and a soft rubber ergonomic pistol grip. That AEG is accompanied by my side arm, a KWA H&K USP tactical with no upgrades. Being one of the snipers on my team, I also carry with me what I call “THOR’S HAMMER”, a JG Snow Wolf M99 Heavy sniper rifle upgraded with a tight-bore barrel and, eventually, will be powered by a PolarStar Fusion Engine. I also have various other airsoft guns I run at different times including a Tokyo Marui MP5, Classic Army M4, DBoys Tri-shot shotgun, and a CYMA AK-47 tactical.
Q) Is there any piece of airsoft equipment (guns, gear, etc) that you would like to try out in the future?
A) The gear I use is usually left over from my service days or just cost effective replicas of military gear. The biggest thing about a player’s gear is that it doesn’t matter who makes it, if it works for you then use it. I have used some of the less expensive gear available and it is still in one piece and works great. I would not stress yourself out over gear that other people have. Instead, stick to finding the good stuff within your price range. Personally, I would like to start transitioning my load out to Eagle Industries gear. Eventually, I would also like to replace my rifle with a VFC HK416D, and have the VFC 417 as my Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) to carry when I don’t want to be loaded down with my main sniper rifle.
Q) A lot of first-time airsoft players are confused by what gear and guns they need to start playing. I know I was, anyway. Can you give those folks a brief rundown on how they should equip themselves if they are new to the game, beginner AEG choices, etc?
A) There are many companies who offer airsoft guns for beginning players including Lancer Tactical, JG, and DBoys. Other companies offer guns for mid-level players like ECHO-1, ICS, G&G – and, for those who have been playing for a while or want to start big, you can always look into Classic Army, VFC, G&P, KWA and ARES. A&K and CYMA seem to have a decent all-around selection of guns for all levels of players. If you want to go super crazy you can research Systema, PolarStar, and Daytona Gun. When it comes to gear you wear, be practical. Wear only what you will need and forget the extra needless gear that’s going to weigh you down. Keep your load out light unless your role calls for it to have more than the normal amount of gear. For example, if you are playing a squad machine gunner, or you are carrying the shoulder fired rocket then you have a reason to have extra gear. The airsoft team I am a part of, CROW SOG, utilizes very high speed practical load outs – we don’t carry gear we don’t use.
Q) Do you have an opinion or comment on the events surrounding the recent banning of the Green Mountain Rangers airsoft team from all Lion Claws, Mindgame, and Blacksheep MilSim events?
A) I don’t have a comment on their ban from these events, but I would like to say if you play with honor and integrity I am pretty sure you will never deal with an issue like this as a player. I like to think of the airsoft community as a large family, mainly because we are still in our infant stage as a sport. We need to act accordingly, take responsibility for our actions, play by the rules, and respect those who are in charge of events including event staff and actual military personnel who are there to make the airsoft experience even better for the players.
Q) What do you see for airsoft’s future as a sport? What do you think needs to happen to give it more mainstream acceptance?
A) I think we are growing at a steady rate and should maintain our course. If you get too big too fast then you will lose the players who make it what it is now. To gain overall acceptance from others outside the sport, we need to be very responsible as players. This means transporting your airsoft guns like they are real firearms, not using them in a irresponsible way, don’t run around in the streets waving them around and in general treat them as if they were real firearms. Even if you don’t play airsoft and you are doing something that is illegal with an airsoft gun, you reflect on the players and the sport. If you are a player and you are not acting as a positive representative of the sport then, we don’t want you to be a part of it.
Q) Do you have any events, teams, games, or general shout-outs that you want to tell folks about?
A) I would like to thank my team CROW SOG for giving me the outlet i needed after I left the military. Justin, our team Major, and Dagan, our team Captain, thank you for adding me to the family and giving me a chance. I would like to thank another team we work with on a regular basis, Disposable Heroes, they are a well organized team with a very positive impact on the sport of airsoft. I would also like to thank Team FSU, another honorable team that maintains the integrity of the sport. Additionally, you can always find my reviews and more on Airsplat.com and on Airsplat’s YouTube page.
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GLaDOS Fhtagn! Here’s a question for you that I thought I would never ask, “What would happen if the world of Portal existed within the Lovecraftian Cthulu Mythos?” Well, the developers over at Frogwares must have had that same question floating around in their heads, because Magrunner: Dark Pulse attempts to answer it. What is essentially a Portal clone, Magrunner: Dark Pulse uses magnetism instead of portals to solve the game’s various puzzle levels, all the while hinting that the Cthulu cult is alive and well. While it is an obvious Portal knock-off, Magrunner: Dark Pulse has a lot of good things going for it that quickly rescues the game from being dismissed as just another clone.
Story
In Magrunner: Dark Pulse, you play as Dax Ward, a young man who is equal parts cocky athlete and super-genius. You are one of the elite few individuals that have been given the chance to compete for the honor of becoming one of the first “Magrunners”, a new breed of space explorers. Being one of the entrants that does not have massive corporate backing, you are immediately seen as an underdog, especially since you had to build your own magnetic glove. All things are going well, until you begin to hear the whispers, mentioning phrases such as “Cthulu Fhtagn” and places such as “R’lyeh”. Then, the shiny and new world of Magrunner: Dark Pulse begins to sink slowly into the depths of the mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth.
Story progression occurs through the holographic imagines that can be seen either through your glove or between levels in the elevator. Magrunner: Dark Pulse has a decidedly more serious tone than Portal, and without the character GLaDOS chastising you the entire way through the game, you will quickly realize that there is something missing. Frogwares tries to fill the void of not having a GLaDOS type character, by bringing in the heavy hitter that is the Great Cthulu. Cthulu, for those of you that don’t know, is a creation of the writer H.P. Lovecraft and is a giant Elder God that is destined to destroy the Earth.
While the inclusion of the Cthulu Mythos is a huge plus for Magrunner: Dark Pulse, I feel that the developers missed what made that mythos so special and chilling in the first place. What makes the Cthulu Mythos unnerving is that it is always that evil just beyond the sight of the human race. We only catch glimpses of it, and that makes it more terrifying. Think of this in terms of Alien versus Aliens. Even though we never get more then a glimpse into the world of Cthulu in Magrunner: Dark Pulse, it never quite reaches the correct atmosphere that most Cthulu games should have.
Gameplay
Magrunner: Dark Pulse takes its game play straight out of Portal, except that it switches the portal device with a magnetic glove. Dax has to use his magnetic glove to create positive and negative magnetic fields to solve the various puzzles to exit each chamber. This type of game play will feel very familiar with those of us that played both Portal and Portal 2, but will be different enough to force you to see the puzzles in a different way. In order to reach your objective, you will have to charge certain objects around the room to either make them magnetically attract to each other, or repulse from each other. You can turn on and off a visual indicator that shows you the magnetic fields within the room, which really helps in seeing if two objects are close enough to each other to be affected by the magnetic fields.
While the game play of Magrunner: Dark Pulse feels right and is a decent amount of fun, the one thing that it does do is limit the ways you can solve the puzzles of the game. What made Portal so brilliant is that a player could solve a puzzle a variety of different ways, even in some ways that the developers never thought of. This gave Portal a much more deep game play experience for the player. With Magrunner: Dark Pulse, you are only able to magnetize certain objects, so this really only allows you to solve the puzzles in a few certain ways. Some players might not notice this lack of variety in puzzle solving, but those of us that played Portal multiple times will be able to see it almost immediately.
Besides the lack of variety in solving Magrunner: Dark Pulse’s puzzles, the game does everything that Portal did, but with less polish and character. The game play here is solid and works very well, but will always remind you of the better puzzle solving game that is out on the market. The magnetic mechanic works well for this game, but it does limit the amount of items that the player can interact with and the ways that puzzles can be solved. The game play really just made me wish I had my portal gun in my hands again.
Aesthetics
The aesthetics for Magrunner: Dark Pulse are as generic as it can get. When I first saw the art for Dax Ward, I couldn’t help but be reminded of character designs for games from the 1990s. In some press releases, Dax even has a baseball hat on in reverse, just offset enough to complete the look of someones idea of a cool guy from fifteen years ago. The rest of the game’s aesthetic are much more in line with what I would expect form a Portal clone: Clean, sterile-looking chambers that soon give away to the dirty and rusted behind the scenes backdrop. I feel that the developers also missed the boat when it comes to designing the aesthetic around the Cthulu Mythos. Magrunner: Dark Pulse never truly looks like a game set in the Cthulu World, instead it feels like a game that has Cthulu in it to help drive sales up. Being a fan of the Lovcraftian Mythos myself, I feel that the game just misses out on that particular aesthetic.
Voice acting and sound design here do the job and do it in an average way. Nothing particularly spectacular about how the actors deliver their lines, but nothing horrendous about it either. The characters end up feeling a bit two dimensional because of this, and the Cthulu Cultist hiding out in the corporate world of Magrunner: Dark Pulse will be pretty easily discovered early on. Again, I feel that the developers missed some opportunities to mess with the players’ minds by having distorted audio ques throughout the game, foreshadowing the coming of Cthulu. The entire premise of the Cthulu Mythos is the slow, spiraling decent into insanity, and the developers could have played with the minds of the players much more by using visual and auditory ques more then they did.
Final Thoughts
When it comes down to it, the biggest problem that Magrunner: Dark Pulse faces is its comparison to Portal – arguably one of the greatest games of all time. Too many times during game play, my mind would drift off to the good times I had playing Portal while GLaDOS tortured and ridiculed me. Frogwares tries to supplant GLaDOS by bringing in the heavy hitter, the Great Cthulu, in order to draw in fans of H.P. Lovecraft and his Elder Gods. As a fan of the Cthulu Mythos, I feel that the developers just didn’t quite get what makes Cthulu so interesting to begin with, and missed the boat when it came to designing the visual and the audio for the game. Insanity has always been one of the main themes to the world of Cthulu, and it is absolutely missing in Magrunner: Dark Pulse. The game is still a good time to play, and the magnetic mechanics work well, but you will end up missing your trusty portal gun the further you delve deeper into Magrunner: Dark Pulse.
[easyreview title=”Magrunner: Dark Pulse Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3″ ]
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Zohar Scourmont had a very long day. He had worked the murder of a Fernor commoner and arrested the kidnapper of the High Judge and helped saved her. He was weary to the bone and heading across a field on his way home. The sun was setting and the field of tall grain lit gold with the last casts of the day’s sunlight. Zohar stopped and turned to look across them, not just to take in their majesty but to take in the new sight. A pirate’s ship, sails full, was plotting a course in the air over the grain right toward him, its skeleton crew lining the rails on the deck. It would seem his dog would have to wait a bit longer for his evening meal as would he.
That describes a single day of role playing on a persistent Neverwinter Nights server my wife and I played for three years. Those were some of the best gaming years of my life, a great server that punished leveling unless it was done by points given for roleplay by GMs. A server where the strength of your character mattered far more than your stats. I basically worked two jobs, my second being my second life as a character in this land where anything could happen. Then, Neverwinter Nights 2 came out – a clunky experience that promised so much but delivered so little that the game we loved was lost and players scattered to the wind – many so disheartened they turned to WoW and non-role playing servers.
When I heard about Neverwinter, I kept my ears opened and waited. I had seen the best and worst of the series which made me hopeful and somehow dubious at the same time. Perfect World was going to be at the helm of this endeavor, a company that had long since developed a F2P model that every successful F2P game either joined up with or emulated. Developers like Cryptic Studios made the games but PW made them profitable. So when I got a chance I jumped in on the beta for Neverwinter I did and I have been playing ever since.
Description:
Start an epic new adventure in the Forgotten Realms with Neverwinter, the free-to-play action MMORPG that combines fast-paced combat with over 25 years of Dungeons & Dragons lore. After a series of cataclysms nearly destroyed it, the city of Neverwinter is under siege from all sides. To keep the city and its people safe, heroes must fight through sprawling dungeons and open-world brawls with the most vicious of Faerûn’s foes. In Neverwinter, the adventure never ends. With the Foundry toolset, players may design and manage new quests and campaigns incorporated directly into the game world.
Hands On:
I had unrealistically high hopes for a Neverwinter Nights type game when I first started but, thankfully, it didn’t take me long to realize they were unrealistic. For F2P games to be profitable they have to follow a certain model: Low number of servers, fairly on-rails quest lines, and items that are either needed or wanted to be purchased with real life money. That is how they pay for operations, upkeep, and updated material to keep the game fresh. The question winds up being whether or not the game is developed well enough inside those parameters to remain interesting and enjoyable. The Perfect World model definitely allows for it so it comes down to whether the subject matter is of interest to the playing community and with Neverwinter it is pretty much a no brainer. There is a reason the lore is so old, people love D&D. If they are given even a halfway decent experience at it they will play and between Cryptic Studios and PW they have definitely pulled it off here.
You progress through the game doing quests. At first, you have little or no choice on which ones you take but as you level up and explore the world more you find you have more options on what you do. There are quests that you can do later or skip all together, there are dungeons you can run as groups, and there are arenas where you can PVP. Those interested in a good storyline can find it while those interested in hack and slash fun can find that too. Also, the company store has something that just about everyone will want to own. There are three types of currency: Zen, which is real life bought Perfect World currency. Diamonds, a premium currency bought with Zen. It also has standard in-game currency, money which would be the standard gold, silver and copper varities. The best and quickest owned things are always bought with Zen, high value bought with diamonds, and money is the only free currency in the game and buys you what you would expect in a free to play, pay to win environment.
You can have plenty of fun roleplaying and not spending real money in the game, but finding other RP’ers might be a bit hard and you will struggle harder. The environment is very much like WoW with micro transactions instead of subscriptions. For the casual player, this works out very nicely as you can buy things when you want and not have to worry about a monthly bill to use it. For the player with lots of money, this means quicker advancement and more prestigious items.
Last Call:
Neverwinter is a great alternative to WoW or a great choice for those who want their D&D lore but don’t mind a lack or RP. I will continue playing it though maybe a little wistfully for the days of Neverwinter Nights. It is a solid game with great play and a bright future.
[easyreview title=”Neverwinter Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
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Looks like Cabin in the Woods director, Drew Goddard, has told zap2it that they are bringing the movie to life in haunted house form as a maze at the 2013 Universal Studios Orlando Halloween Horror Nights.
Universal Orlando Entertainment Team member Michael Aiello said, “We are building the cabin completely. You’re going to walk through a forest to get there. You’re going into the cabin. You’re going to go into the cube cells. We’re literally taking everything we can in the film and giving you a kind of best-of montage of the film with this kind of linking story…you’re going to be in the control room when merman attacks.”
Universal Studios Orlando also released a teaser trailer for the Cabin in the Woods maze, which you can see here:
This is the first maze announcement for Halloween Horror Nights Orlando, so stay-tuned as more is released. The Halloween season is just around the corner. Tickets for the event are actually on-sale now, so make your plans, folks!
IRVINE, Calif. — June 27, 2013 — BenQ America Corp., an internationally renowned provider of digital lifestyle innovations, today announced that as the official gaming sponsor of Major League Gaming (MLG), it will be unveiling its new ZeroFlicker™ Technology at the 2013 MLG Spring Championship held in Anaheim, Calif., June 28-30. Designed with gamers in mind, the new technology is engineered to eliminate traditional LED flicker issues in monitors, supporting eSports enthusiasts in longer gaming sessions by providing more comfort during competitive play.
First available on BenQ’s new XL2420TE monitor — available to the public in July before being gradually incorporated into all BenQ gaming monitors — ZeroFlicker Technology provides a new direct lighting system that enables gamers to practice during longer periods thanks to improved LED comfort. As a result, eSports athletes and amateur gamers alike are able to experience fast, flicker-free gaming on devices that are built specifically for the requirements of today’s competitive gaming situations where speed, comfort, and control are paramount to success.
“We know from our relationship with pro gamers that achieving greatness means dedicating hundreds of hours to practice time,” said Bob Wudeck, Associate Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for BenQ America Corp. “With this commitment to gamers in mind, we developed our new ZeroFlicker Technology, which aims at providing eSport athletes with the ability to participate in longer gaming sessions without compromising comfort. We look forward to seeing today’s top players put our technology to the test at this year’s MLG Spring Championship and are extremely proud to be unveiling this exciting new innovation at such a premier event.”
At the MLG Spring Championship, gamers will compete for more than $100,000 in prizes by playing Call of Duty®: Black Ops II, League of Legends®, and StarCraft® II: Heart of the Swarm™. Thousands of spectators will take part in the event at the Anaheim Convention Center while thousands more will watch online at http://store.
Designed by legendary gamers to meet the specific requirements of competitive gaming, the new XL2420TE brings an ultra-fast 144Hz refresh rate to speed up frames-per-second and blazing-quick 1ms GTG response time for faster pixel rates, synchronizing action without any latency to give players complete control over their gaming experience. With the introduction of BenQ’s new ZeroFlicker Technology to help extend playing time and give gamers more edge, the monitor also combines a 12 million:1 dynamic contrast ratio, true black color, and a unique de-flickering backlight circuit controller for a zero-flicker view. Even after lengthy gaming sessions, the XL2420TE enables a more comfortable, alert, and focused experience for serious eSports enthusiasts.
To give players a competitive edge, the XL2420TE also features BenQ’s Black eQualizer, which enables total gaming visibility by allowing gamers to adjust brightness without over-exposing white levels — revealing critical combat details with improved visibility in darkened areas. To accommodate individual viewing preferences, the Display Mode allows gamers to switch between nine monitor screen sizes, including 17-inch (4:3), 19-inch (4:3), 19-inch widescreen (16:10), 21.5-inch widescreen (16:9), 22-inch widescreen (16:10), 23-inch widescreen (16:9), 23.6-inch widescreen (16:9), 24-inch widescreen (16:9), and 27-inch widescreen (16:9), while Smart Scaling enables players to adjust the screen on-the-fly to virtually any custom size without impacting controller sensitivity.
For even more control without compromising playing speed, gamers can customize and save display setting presets directly onto the monitor’s S Switch. This allows players to switch swiftly between customized display settings for gaming as well as entertainment using the stylish controller’s scroll button, facilitating fast navigation and adjustment of the device’s OSD settings.
Additional information on the MLG Spring Championship is available at www.majorleaguegaming.com/
Information on the full line of BenQ gaming monitors is available at Gaming.BenQ.com.
Looks like the cast of the A&E series, Bates Motel, will join executive producers Carlton Cuse (“Lost”) and Kerry Ehrin (“Friday Night Lights”) for a panel discussion about the showa at San Diego’s Comic-Con. The panel will take place on Saturday, July 20 from 10:00a -11:00a. Currently, the room of the panel is listed as “TBD”, but stay-tuned for additional info as it is released.
Los Gatos, CA – June 27, 2013 – Sixense Entertainment, Inc., a pioneer in consumer motion tracking hardware and software, announced today that it will bring a Sixense-branded wireless system to the market.
Sixense will release development kits that will support three wireless motion trackers and will include fully playable controllers compatible with games and applications developed for existing Sixense-powered products, including the Razer Hydra. The dev kits will allow Sixense to work directly with developers to create software for the upcoming consumer version or to develop their own controllers and motion tracking devices.
“We’re excited to finally provide a wireless solution that addresses the needs of both consumers and developers,” said Amir Rubin, co-founder of Sixense. ”The ecosystem around gaming and virtual reality has grown dramatically, making now the perfect time to announce our new consumer product and direct-to-developer dev kits.”
Sixense will provide additional details about the development kits, including price and availability, soon. For more information about Sixense visit www.sixense.com.
Oslo, Norway – June 27th, 2013 – Exactly 12 years ago today, on July 27th 2001, Funcom released what was to become one of the most innovative and longest-running massively multiplayer games in history. ‘Anarchy Online’ immediately captured gamers’ fascination as it launched them into the first-ever science fiction MMO experience, and for twelve years, Funcom has evolved and expanded this rich universe through regular updates as well as major expansions such as ‘Shadowlands’ and ‘Alien Invasion’.
Despite its age, ‘Anarchy Online’ still serves as home to thousands of people around the world, and more than 2.4 million characters have inhabited the alien world of Rubi-ka to date. Among those, 38% have sworn allegiance to the all-powerful Omni-Tek corporation while 38.5% have joined the rebellious clans. 23.5% have chosen to stay neutral in the epic conflict. Among all the breeds that inhabit the world of Rubi-ka, Solitus – the breed most similar to an original human being – is by far the most popular with 35.8% of all players choosing this origin, while the fragile yet highly intelligent Nano is the least popular with only 20.3% share of players. As of today there are more than 15,000 player-made organizations in the ‘Anarchy Online’ universe and almost 60% of all players have joined one of these player collectives.
“’Anarchy Online’ is a game that, 12 years after launch, still stands as a pillar of innovation in the MMO genre,” says Joel Bylos, Creative Director at Funcom. “Going forward, with our current plans for the new engine, the new player experience and Steam integration, we are hoping to ensure at least another 12!”
Innovation has been a keyword for ‘Anarchy Online’ ever since it first launched back in 2001. Not only was it the first massively multiplayer online game to feature instancing – a mechanic that is common in most games in its genre today – it was also the first MMO to feature in-game advertisement, digital download, virtual world radio, in-game concerts, virtual items and the ‘freemium’ business model. Currently, developers at Funcom are hard at work finalizing a new graphics engine for ‘Anarchy Online’, which will make significant improvements to the overall visual quality of the game. The team is also working on a new player experience, making it easier than ever to join and get involved in the ‘Anarchy Online’ universe.
To celebrate the anniversary, Funcom is inviting everyone to join the exciting celebrations in-game. A unique set of events will take place during the celebrations, where the rebel clans will fight for their freedom against the defending Omni-Tek. The Desert Nomads are also back, and in the Newland Desert, ‘The Tinker’ is back and is ready to make large and explosive gifts for her favorite enemy, ‘The Desert Rider’. Join her in her madness and take out the many ‘Desert Nomads’ to find parts of the many gifts she wants to make! To learn more about the celebrations, please visit the official website.
JUNE 27, 2013 — Summit Entertainment will showcase the studio’s highly anticipated film event ENDER’S GAME at Comic-Con 2013, presenting never-before-seen new footage, appearances by cast members and filmmakers, and several massive, interactive fan events. A full slate of activities related to the film to be unveiled at this year’s Comic-Con, including:
Hall H Panel – The studio’s panel on Thursday, July 18th will feature ENDER’S GAME filmmakers and cast, including producer Bob Orci, director Gavin Hood, and cast members Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin.
Exclusive Fan Experience – Attendees will be able to visit an elaborate, specially constructed ENDER’S GAME exhibit outside of the Hilton Gaslamp, featuring 8 unique rooms representing the most iconic environments of Ender’s world, complete with original film props and set pieces used in the movie. Throughout the experience, attendees will be able to see exclusive film footage on LED screens, interact with new digital content, integrate photos of themselves into the highly anticipated Battle Room, and register to win a home make over.
Convention Floor Booth – Summit Entertainment’s booth located within the Grand Hall will highlight ENDER’S GAME footage. Premium promotional items will be distributed to the 120,000 attendees walking the convention floor, and booth visitors will be given the opportunity to win “fast passes” to the ENDER’S Game Exclusive Fan Experience, granting them entry without having to wait in line.