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Scientists record a fourth set of gravitational waves
Last year, researchers confirmed the existence of gravitational waves with two Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors. Shortly thereafter, they detected two additional gravitational wave-causing events that sent ripples through the universe. Well, we can now add a fourth to that list, as astronomers announced another set of waves. And for the first time, they observed the waves with a third detector -- the Italy-based Virgo.
Science confirms that gravitational waves exist
At last, scientists have validated a key part of Einstein's general theory of relativity. The National Science Foundation, Caltech and MIT have confirmed the existence of gravitational waves, or ripples in spacetime. Their two LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) detectors measured atomic-scale differences on September 14th, 2015 that point to the collision of black holes (also a new discovery) 1.3 billion years ago, triggering gravity ripples that only just reached Earth. There have long been hints of these waves, but hard evidence has proven elusive until now.
ESA craft will prove that you can measure gravity waves in space
Scientists have spent ages searching for gravity waves from the safety of Earth, but they haven't had the chance to study those waves in space, where they could help make sense of black holes and other objects that distort spacetime. They're one step closer to getting that shot, though. The European Space Agency is almost ready to launch a vehicle, LISA Pathfinder, that will demonstrate the viability of measuring gravity waves in space. When it begins testing in March, Pathfinder won't actually measure gravitational effects at all. It'll instead look for extremely minute (picometer-level) changes between two test masses within the spacecraft, proving that you can achieve the extreme level of precision needed for a gravity wave detector.
Arcane Legends infographic reveals 15 million installs
Arcane Legends has recently released on Amazon's appstore, and to celebrate this milestone Spacetime Studios created an infographic of all of the other milestones that the game has hit over the past two years. Prepare yourself, for big numbers are coming your way: Arcane Legends has clocked 15 million installs, 365 million play sessions, 140 million play hours, and over 7.5 billion creatures slain. But if you need spiffy graphics and real-world comparisons, you'll be best served by checking out the lengthy infographic after the break. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
Researcher finds a way to mimic curves in space-time
Here on Earth, it's rather difficult to replicate curved space-time -- to get that kind of effect in nature, you'd have to get uncomfortably close to black holes and other distant space objects. However, researcher Nikodem Szpak may have found a way to simulate that bend without facing oblivion. His proposed technique puts supercooled atoms in an optical lattice created by a laser field; so long as the laws of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics hold true, the atoms should behave like they're experiencing curved space-time. You can even change the lattice's pattern to mimic different circumstances, whether it's a moment right after the Big Bang or the surface of a star.
Scientists simulate time travel using light particles
We may never see practical time travel in our lifetimes, if it's possible at all. However, a team at the University of Queensland has given the Doc Browns of the world a faint glimmer of hope by simulating time travel on a very, very small scale. Their study used individual photons to replicate a quantum particle traveling through a space-time loop (like the one you see above) to arrive where and when it began. Since these particles are inherently uncertain, there wasn't room for the paradoxes that normally thwart this sort of research. The particle couldn't destroy itself before it went on its journey, for example.
Spacetime debuts Battle Command strategy MMO
Spacetime has a new MMO out that isn't saddled with the "Legends" moniker. The studio, which is now called Spacetime Games, announced the release of Battle Command for Android devices. Unlike Spacetime's previous games, Battle Command skews away from an RPG and toward a city-building RTS. Players will develop a futuristic base, pump out an army, and fight both the computer and other players in offensive and defensive campaigns. Alliances can be forged as well, linking players together in economic and militaristic support. The free-to-play title is currently available on Google Play.
MMObility: Battle Dragons and Tiny Tycoons make for light fun
This week I would like to mention two titles that only recently came across my desk, Battle Dragons by well-known mobile MMO developer Spacetime Games and Tiny Tycoons, a semi-social, real-world game that is published by The Tap Lab. Which is possibly the cutest company name, ever. Both games shine a light on the current mobile market, even though they do not represent every genre that is popular on mobile devices right now. Both games show off just how well-made many mobile games can be and both design's help illustrate why mobile gaming has gained such a large piece of the gaming pie. We'll start with Battle Dragons, the more MMO-like game of the two. Perhaps because it was created by a studio that has dominated the mobile MMO space for the last several years, Battle Dragons works perfectly on a mobile device.
Arcane Legends adds capture the flag
It's the popular sport of summer camps everywhere, and now capture the flag is coming to mobile devices. Spacetime Studios is introducing the game into Arcane Legends as the first step toward a larger PvP offering. Capture the flag takes place in a 4v4 arena and comes complete with achievements, titles, and leaderboards. Spacetime has plans to add more PvP modes and maps in the future. The studio said that Arcane Legends has been downloaded more than four million times to date. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
Pocket Legends adds Paladin and Ranger classes
Three's company no longer; Spacetime Studios is adding two new classes to its smash hit Pocket Legends, bringing up the grand total of available characters to five. The new classes to be included in today's update are the Vixen Ranger and the Rhino Paladin. The Ranger looks to be a dual-wielding fighter while the Paladin is geared out as a classic tank. The new classes aren't the only things being added today. The update has a new level 76 red dragon to defeat, additional dungeons, a heroic instance, a 3v3 capture-the-flag map, more options for existing classes' skills, and the game's Winterfest holiday event. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
Arcane Legends arrives on iOS
Arcane Legends' staggered rollout crossed a major barrier today, as Spacetime Studios' newest title got approved for the Apple app store and released for iOS. It's currently available as a free download with in-app purchases. This makes it the fourth MMO in Spacetime's Legends series. Massively's Beau recently took some time to sit down with the MMO and suss out whether it has that Spacetime charm. We've also seen Arcane Legends' short cinematic trailer. The game launched a couple of weeks ago for both Android and Chrome. Spacetime reports that to date, Arcane Legends has accumulated more than two million downloads. To celebrate the iOS launch of the game, the studio posted a few new screenshots of the game, which you can check out in the gallery below! [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]%Gallery-170781%
Researchers create space-time crystal schematic, still won't undo those ill-advised high school photos
Think your cute little Minecraft schematics are the bomb? Well, a group of international researchers sees your quaint, little 3D masterpiece and raises you the blueprint for a 4D space-time crystal. Building on an idea floated earlier this year by theoretical physics guru and Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek of MIT, a team led by UC Berkeley researcher Tongcang Li has created a schematic for a crystal with a fourth dimension -- movement in time. The resulting space-time crystal is being described as something akin to an infinitely running clock that does not require any additional energy once it starts going. The researchers also claim that the crystal can be built in just a few years -- provided that the necessary funding is available to the team that decides to take on the project, of course. Unfortunately, the crystal is still a long way from the Mr. Fusion-powered, time-traveling DeLorean that we truly desire. In the meantime, brainy types can feel free to click on the source link for more nuggets of wisdom about the research.
MMObility: Google's Nexus tablet and Dark Legends' update
Some weeks, mobile news just comes right up to my doorstep and invites itself in. This was one of those weeks. The mobile MMO market is still only a fraction the size of the standard one, but thanks in large part to browser-based games and smart studios like Spacetime Studios and Gameloft, we mobile fans still have a lot to choose from. In my opinion, mobile MMO gaming will slowly rise to the popularity of the standard mobile game market, especially given new tech like the new Google Nexus 7 tablet that we're going to talk about today. Still, mobile MMO fans have got to be diligent and need to know what to look for. They also need to be a bit flexible in their game choices, sometimes playing around with different styles of MMO like MUDs, browser-based strategy games, and games that are a bit more primitive in the graphics department. Luckily, Spacetime's Dark Legends just released a pretty game-changing patch, so I'll give you the skinny on that as well.
Dark Legends levels up its vamps, grants them allies
A vampire's life isn't just about torrid teen romance and counting from one to 10; it's a full-time career to battle back the other forces of the night and keep all of the goodies to yourself. Fortunately, Spacetime Studios is helping out the fanged population by increasing the level cap in Dark Legends to 26 and removing the energy requirement for 3-D missions. Dark Legends' most recent update doesn't just stop there. The game now has two additional campaigns, a cool flame aura for level 23-plus characters, and nightly rewards for regular players. Spacetime's added an allies system to the game as well. Allies are computer companions that are unlocked during the campaign. These characters can then be ordered to do one of three different jobs, each of which has a time requirement and a reward attached. Jobs do need to be collected by players within a certain window, otherwise some of the reward will be taken away.
Arcane Legends officially announced
While we knew it was coming, it is still nice to get official confirmation: Spacetime Studios has announced Arcane Legends, its latest MMO for iOS, Android, and Chrome. With Arcane Legends, Spacetime Studios is going back to its fantasy roots. Instead of Pocket Legends' more traditional MMO combat, however, Arcane Legends will feature action combat full of combos and button-mashing. During the combat, a rage meter will allow players to activate powerful abilities when it's completely full. The three classes announced for the game are the Warrior, Rogue, and Sorcerer. Arcane Legends will support both co-op and PvP gameplay. CEO Gary Gattis thinks that Arcane Legends is different enough from previous Spacetime endeavors to justify its development: "With every Legends title we are focused on bringing something distinct to cross-platform gaming. With Arcane Legends we set out to create an action RPG with a clever and funny story, meaningful multiplayer gameplay and above all furious fast-paced tactical combat." Massively will be getting its first look at Arcane Legends at E3 next month.
Spacetime Studios teases Arcane Legends
Pocket Legends. Star Legends. Dark Legends. And now... Arcane Legends? Yes, it appears to be true! Spacetime Studios is working on a fourth title for its popular mobile MMO library, filing a trademark that has since been approved. The application for a U.S. federal trademark was submitted on April 5th and was given the thumbs up May 10th. As one of its categories is "electronic game software for cellular telephones," we can reasonably deduce that Arcane Legends will launch on mobile devices in the same manner of its older siblings. Spacetime Studios told us that it will release an official announcement of the title later this week. The studio recently released the vampire-themed MMO Dark Legends on iOS and Android devices.
Rise and Shiny: Dark Legends
Dark Legends, the new title from mobile MMO king Spacetime Studios, is already creating a buzz with its liberal use of an energy pool that is sapped as players go through standard gameplay. If this mechanic were packaged any differently and inside a sandbox, it's possible that people would call it "realistic" or "hardcore." Unfortunately, problems set in as soon as players realized that playing the game for hours on end would require some infusion of real-life funds or the ability to kill pretty large chunks of time in non-combat areas. I would argue that the gameplay does not have to be designed for marathon gaming sessions. It's very possible that the "casual" part of the game's description actually means "casual." I still had issues with the mechanic; don't get me wrong. But if I was bothered by anything it would be Dark Legends' lack of borrowing features from Pocket Legends, Spacetime's flagship mobile MMO, which offers actual persistent areas and other MMO staples. Of course, it's possible that Spacetime is simply trying something new. Heaven forbid it should attempt a new design!
Dark Legends launches on Apple devices, hits 500K players
The tortured souls of the underworld Apple users have twiddled their thumbs and sharpened their canines for over a month now, a month that Android and Chrome users have played Dark Legends to their hearts' content. After that long wait, iOS owners can stop penning brooding poetry on Livejournal and start playing the game proper: Spacetime Studios has released Dark Legends on the App Store. Apple users can now joining the 500,000-plus Dark Legends community by simply downloading the game from the store and getting their vamp on. Edward-wannabes have a daunting task in front of them, however, as all of the darker fantasy forces are out to be a serious pain in their neck. Dark Legends follows in the wake of Spacetime's enormously popular Pocket Legends and Star Legends. It's available as a free download with optional in-app purchases and can be played over wifi, edge, 3G, and 4G networks. Our own Beau is livestreaming Dark Legends today on Massively TV, so be sure to see what he thinks of the game! [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
Dark Legends aims to make your vampire sparkle with a weapon giveaway
We posted yesterday that Dark Legends, the latest in a line of F2P mobile and browser-friendly MMOs from Spacetime Studios, is now officially up and running on Android systems and Chrome browsers. Today, Spacetime has a present for all you would-be vampires out there: a pair of rockin' weapons called Devastation Maces. To grab yours, start up the game and either log into your existing account or create a new one. Make sure you're playing the character whom you want to receive the weapons because you can only grab these once per account! Zip through the tutorial missions and then head to the Spacetime Nexus from the main lobby screen. There, on the bottom right of your screen, you'll see a button for enterting a promo code. Enter the code massively20120410 and find your maces waiting for you in your character's inventory. The code has unlimited uses, so everyone who wants one can use it, but do note that it will expire eventually, so snag that gift sooner rather than later. Many thanks to Spacetime Studios -- have fun!
Dark Legends goes live for Android and Chrome
So you like vampires? It's kind of a thing these days. Maybe you like vampires so much that you really want to play around with some vampiric content on your mobile device. That's for the best, as Spacetime Studios has released Dark Legends today. Building off the success of the studio's previous mobile/browser titles (Pocket Legends and Star Legends), the newest game allows players to take on the role of a bloodsucking monster of the night. The game is currently available in the the Google Play Store and the Chrome app store; it won't be available in the iOS app store for a few more weeks. Like previous offerings, it's free-to-play, and you can log in from separate devices to play both on the road and at home. Unlike previous games, this one is definitely not aiming for the family market, being a fair bit more overtly violent and bloody. Still, if you feel the urge to rampage through dark alleys while you are walking through said alleys in real life, Dark Legends has you covered. [Update: We've clarified that the game is not yet available for Apple users. Sorry for the confusion!]
