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Microsoft and Amazon will fight for the Pentagon's $10B cloud contract
Amazon and Microsoft are the two final companies in the running for the Defense Department's $10 billion cloud computing contract. The Pentagon's migration to the cloud, known as the JEDI project, was announced in 2017, with some of the biggest companies in the world competing for the prize ever since (although Google sat it out, citing "AI principles").
Google sits out $10 billion Pentagon cloud contest over AI principles
Google has dropped out of a competition that could've won the company a $10 billion contract with the Pentagon. The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud (JEDI) contest's purpose is to find a solution for the military to transfer massive amounts of data and processing power to the cloud. It believes that by doing so, it can give military officials quick access to data wherever they are, allowing them to make quicker and better decisions while on the battlefield. A spokesperson told Bloomberg that it's no longer bidding on the JEDI contract, because the tech giant couldn't be assured that its terms would align with its AI Principles.
ICYMI: Gaming mood lighting, a shooting drone and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Virtual Reality by Oculus Rift is about to get way more tactile thanks to a newly acquired hand tracking tech company. Hue lights will now sync with an Xbox One game and oh man, the ambience on your next blood bath will be intense. And a YouTuber uploaded a video of a drone that fires a semiautomatic handgun, which makes crabby old men the world over pleased.
I saw a real Jedi in Star Wars: The Old Republic
Let me tell you about this Jedi Guardian named Nayelii. She lives on Star Wars: The Old Republic's Ebon Hawk server. She could actually be a he, but the avatar (and the name) seemed female, so that's the pronoun I'm going with at the moment. I say "seemed" because Nayelii was wearing hooded robes, it's fairly dark through most of the Kuat Drive Yards flashpoint, and I tend to play dungeons with my camera at max range. Anyway, that's all beside the point because last weekend Nayelii put on what is unequivocally the best tanking performance I've seen in all my years playing MMORPGs.
Sabertron: a foam lightsaber game that finally proves who's got the most midi-chlorians
Chances are you've clutched a lightsaber or two in your time, whether that be an inexpensive imitation of the iconic Jedi weapon, or a deluxe model. You may even be a veteran duelist, but unless you're willing to commit murder with a Star Wars toy (or, someone else could just score the bout, we guess), then the dance always ends with no true victor. If you think that something with a name like Sabertron can't solve this dilemma, then these aren't the swords you're looking for. Just launched on Kickstarter, the idea of Sabertron is pretty simple: foam sword, electronics to detect blows, LED scoreboard above the grip. The current prototype uses an Arduino board with accelerometer to register hits, with Xbee handling the wireless connection so swords know when they've merely collided, and when to shut off LEDs after an opponent's successful strike. Also, a control panel and screen built into the grip lets you pick between different game modes for one-on-one combat. During the year, LevelUp intends to created a chest/back mounted scoreboard with proximity detection that'll allow for multiplayer battles, with other accessories for the Sabertron range expected later. While it's aimed at Star Wars fans and live-action role players primarily, only a fun-sponge would be incapable of enjoying a few rounds of Alliance vs Empire with a buddy. And, with early bird pledges of $99 getting you a pair, breaking the will of Jedi scum doesn't have to break the bank.
Massively does Geek Week: Take a scenic tour of SWTOR
As MMO players, we know all about being geeks; we're the geekiest video gamers around! Join in the fun today as we celebrate Google's Geek Week with a series of MMO-flavored videos to introduce fellow geeks to our favorite games: Guild Wars 2, SWTOR, The Secret World, and more! Despite its struggles since launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic retains a mighty playerbase. In fact, its subscription numbers easily place it in the top five MMOs! No doubt many players stick with the game because of its incredible and iconic vistas and locations. So why not live vicariously through our SWTOR columnist and virtually visit some of those destinations in a humorous flythrough recorded especially for Geek Week? Visit the haunted halls of the Sith Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, tour the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and explore the war-torn wastes of Ilum. But whatever you do, don't mention what happens on the Bounty Hunter's D5-Mantis starship. We're still trying to block that from our minds.
Chaos Theory: Throwing TSW's next themed party
I spy with my little eye... a trend! With last month's announcement of The Secret World's next update, I noticed a certain motif. It appears that beyond just adding new content, the conspiracy game is getting in on the party planning business, throwing themed bashes for players to enjoy. And the players themselves get to arrive as iconic guests of honor! While not making you the exact person, the two most recent DLCs effectively give you the chance to participate in adventures with the persona of a beloved and/or well-known character: Indiana Jones headlined Issue #6, and James Bond will be the star of Issue #7. That leads me to wonder: What -- or who -- will we meet next? We've already offered some suggestions for new locales for future TSW updates, so why not toss out a few ideas on the next major icons to represent? I know you all have some favorite role you'd love to slip into, so come add your suggestions to these possibilities.
Feel the Force: Angry Birds Star Wars coming November 8th to iOS, Android, WP, Kindle Fire and computers
Rovio teased a certain film-inspired Angry Birds picture a long, long last week, and as expected, it's another new game -- Angry Birds Star Wars. Our furious feathered friends are assuming the likenesses of characters from the epic saga, with the trusty Red Bird taking on Luke Skywalker's role. It wouldn't be the Rebel Alliance without a dark side to fight, which is where the Pigs fit into the storyline; even the music and levels for gravity-based play will hark back to the film franchise. In addition to the software, details of related merchandise have also been uncovered, including table games, toys and costumes. The game is out on November 8th for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Kindle Fire and computers, and if it follows the original storyline, we wonder how Red Bird's going to feel about his porcine family history.
Rovio hints at Angry Birds tie-in with Star Wars on October 8th, Red Bird Five standing by
The green pigs have had their moment in the sun: it's time for the Angry Birds to come back. Rovio Mobile has posted a teaser of a collaboration between its frustrated avians and Star Wars that will get a grand reveal on October 8th at Toys R Us' Times Square location in New York City. No clear giveaways exist as to what's coming, although Rovio is promising animations, comics and other material in the weeks ahead -- we imagine it means more than a toy line, as unique as that can be. But does it mean an Angry Birds Space add-on that goes well beyond the Martian landscape, an entirely new game or something else altogether? We've asked the company for more details and will let you know if we're given more information. In the meantime, get ready for what's likely to be a geek culture explosion. [Thanks, Jaakko]
BioWare stages SWTOR freeze mob event in New York City's Times Square
If you happened to be walking around Times Square on the night of December 20th, you may have witnessed one of the more unique MMO launch day promotions in recent memory. BioWare enlisted the help of Darth Malgus and a cadre of heavily armored Jedi (or at least, their cosplay equivalents) to stage a Star Wars: The Old Republic freeze mob event complete with lightsabers and bewildered onlookers. What's a freeze mob? Well, it's just what it sounds like, and fortunately for those of you who didn't get to see it live, there's a video of the shenanigans after the cut.
Behind the Mask: The Force Unleashed
Now that The Old Republic has hit the shelves, it seems like everyone has something to say about it. Cryptic seems to acknowledge it in its own unusual way: by lampshading it. Enter the Unleashed, Champions Online's newest free archetype. No, you're not misreading me here; the Unleashed is not a gold archetype. If you make an account right now, you can play the Unleashed from the moment you enter the character select screen, without spending a dime. Since it's the ninth free archetype, you'd think that he'd be a stable, bread-and-butter class. However, the Unleashed is nothing but. His wackiness approaches the Impulse, but where the Impulse is kind of ineffectual, the Unleashed is deadly efficient. Interested in a sword-wielding knight who slings force blasts? Hit the jump and we'll see what Cryptic's take on a Jedi can do.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Jedi Knight
If it's true that gamers would rather play Luke Skywalker than Uncle Owen, then the Jedi Knight is the class to put that claim to the test in Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Knight is the Republic side's melee specialist and classic tank-mage, who supplements her melee attacks with taunts, buffs, and Force powers. She operates on the front lines of the war against the Sith, protecting her allies and representing the Jedi Order across the galaxy. Also, lightsabers. Two of them.
SWTOR's Friday update features a Jedi Consular video
BioWare's PR team must've missed the memo about long Thanksgiving weekends, as there's a new Star Wars: The Old Republic video up for grabs on the game's official website. The Jedi Consular is the star of the day, and the class is "both a revered ally to the Republic and a dangerous adversary to the Empire," according to BioWare's marketing blurb. If you've been following the game for a while, the clip probably won't tell you anything you don't already know. For new and/or hopelessly addicted fans, though, there's a good amount of in-game footage and some glimpses of the class's advancement paths.
Lifting the beta curtain: Larry's hands-on with SWTOR's beta
Many of my friends in gaming media have speculated as to why BioWare has allowed some media outlets to report on the heavily veiled Star Wars: The Old Republic beta, but frankly, I don't care. It doesn't matter to me that BlizzCon happens to be tomorrow or that there is a possible connection between the start of that event and the lift of this embargo. All I really care about is that I can finally tell you about actual gameplay for this new Star Wars MMO that I've been personally following for over three years now. However, it will be extremely difficult to contain all my experience of SWTOR within the confines of this one article. However, I will do my darnedest. Over the past couple of weeks, BioWare allowed us access to the Republic side of this highly anticipated MMO and pretty much set us free. We can report on nearly every gameplay aspect within the first two planets. Two weeks -- that's enough time for me to run more than one class! And that's exactly what I did. Originally, I wanted to run through two classes that weren't going to affect me much when the game goes live. I accomplished this goal with the Jedi Consular. However, when I started to play the Smuggler class, I just could not stop. I was completely engaged in the story. Jump past the break and I'll tell you all about that -- and more.
SWTOR trailer revels in the signs of war
"Peace between Republic and Empire is crumbling. Every world, signs of war." Thus begins a two-minute journey through Star Wars: The Old Republic's setting, as the narrator takes us to a half-dozen worlds where conflict is brewing, people are being stabbed in the back, Bantha raiders are waving sticks above their heads, and players' mouths are salivating. This new trailer, Signs of War, is being shown this weekend at the New York Comic Con. While it might not be packed with new information, it's certainly a pulse-pounding buildup to this December's launch. From Jedi to Agents, every class gets its little moment to shine in it, packaged between explosions and large-scale conflict. You can watch the full trailer after the jump!
BioWare devs talk SWTOR combat animations, answer PvP questions
Grab yourself a tall glass of blue milk, Star Wars fans, as BioWare has released a lengthy new edition of its Studio Insider feature to carry you through your Friday afternoon. The update features principal lead animator Mark How talking about -- wait for it -- animation! To be more precise, How tells us all about The Old Republic's combat animation, and he even tosses in an interesting video clip that features different stages in the development of a Jedi force leap and a Republic trooper full auto firing animation. How also gets into the challenges inherent in melding the lightsaber battles from the Star Wars films with the design limitations of an MMORPG. "Players do not enjoy having character control taken away from them because of an action or animation," How explains. "It was particularly challenging to develop animations that allowed for visually appealing combat while still allowing the players complete control over their characters." How successful were BioWare designers in this regard? That remains to be seen, but you can get a feel for their approach by reading How's blog. Finally, this week's Community Q&A feature continues the combat focus, and lead PvP designer Gabe Amatangelo has the answers to a few burning questions from the TOR faithful.
The Soapbox: Why MMO combat sucks, and how BioWare could've made it suck less
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I hate MMORPG combat. It's not because I'm a carebear. It's not because I'm bad at it. It's not because I dislike parsing, being a min/maxer, or solving equations and comparing spreadsheets when I'm supposed to be having fun. OK, maybe it is because of those last four things. Mainly, though, it's because MMORPG combat completely and unequivocally sucks. MMORPG combat is not combat. It's high school math. And it's the same in every damn MMORPG. Twenty years into the genre here, guys, aren't we ready to grow up even a little bit?
SWTOR's meet the Medic -- er, Consular
Some fans have wondered if the rumors about a the Jedi Consular video were just vapor. Thankfully, the community team at BioWare has proven that wrong. This afternoon, we were introduced to the Jedi Consular class for Star Wars: The Old Republic. This keeper of Force tradition is split up into two advanced classes: The Sage and the Shadow. As their names imply, the Sage is a healer and ranged Force wielder, and the Shadow is a stealth and melee class. As we have seen in past screenshots, the Trandoshan hunter Qyzen Fess will join the Consular on his travels across the galaxy. This reptilian humanoid has hunted all the galaxy's most deadly beasts from the swamps of Belkadan to the Tatooine deserts, according to his bio on the official website. Witness all the wonder of this class in the screenshots below, and be sure to catch the full Consular trailer after the break! %Gallery-130055%
Hyperspace Beacon: Find the Force
With E3 last week, I really considered devoting this article to opinions regarding the latest news for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Then I realized that Massively already published a ton of SWTOR related articles about E3 this week. During the show itself, Dan gave his impressions of playing the game, and all four of our attendees delivered impressions yesterday. It's good to read impressions from people who love MMOs but aren't necessarily die-hard fans of BioWare or Star Wars -- you'll get a different perspective than you would reading this column. So instead, this week I'll examine the announced abilities for the Jedi Consular class. The majority of this information stems from the advanced class page, but there is a little bit that comes from MMORPG's interview with Georg Zoeller. Hop past the break as we explore the abilities of this powerful Force-user.
Hyperspace Beacon: Your eyes can deceive you
I don't know about you, but this Friday's update surprised me. After the freighter-full of information we have been receiving, I was kind of expecting a meager morsel of facts from Star Wars: The Old Republic in this most recent update. However, just knowing that the update was written by Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller, I was excited about it. Zoeller is surely the most active developer on the SWTOR forums, and he always has some incredible nuggets of information to share with the community. This week, I want to talk about combat roles. Although BioWare mentioned that it supports the standard trinity, it was refreshing to read that the team is mixing things up a bit based on advanced classes. For instance, your Bounty Hunter easily slips into the DPS or the tank role, but developers have thrown healing into the equation, too. This week, I want to talk about another role I did not expect to see: the Stealth Tank.
