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MMObility: Age of Ascent hopes to beat EVE Online's battle concurrency record
Age of Ascent is the new work-in-progress from Illyriad Games, the maker of one of my current favorite MMORTS titles, Illyriad. I've written about Illyriad before and have always enjoyed its epic scale and massive numbers, but with this new project, the team is promising something that is not only larger than anything it has ever done but larger than anything that has been done before... by anyone. The studio is working closely with Microsoft in the hopes of achieving massive numbers in a twitch-based sandbox MMO that runs in your browser. I've gone through a few test runs with tons of other players and had no issues whatsoever, even while running it on a $200 Chromebook! It's an exciting prospect, but I had to ask some more questions about the upcoming title. I asked James Niesewand, CEO of Illyriad Games, to clear up some of my confusion.
3D is dangerous / not dangerous: optometrist group defends Nintendo 3DS edition
Much has been made of Nintendo's 3DS warning that the six-and-under crowd should probably stick to 2D mode, and while CEO Iwata has consented that "being proactive about informing our customer.... may not necessarily be positive for our sales," the American Optometric Association has put an interesting spin on all this. The group released a statement last week -- yes, during CES madness -- asserting that 3D viewing "may actually help uncover subtle disorders that, left uncorrected, often result in learning difficulties." Not only that, but the 36,000-strong group suggested "children younger than six can use the 3DS in 3D mode if their visual system is developing normally." So yeah, Little Timmy's Christmas 2011 isn't ruined just yet, but that leaves plenty of time for a competing study to come out confusing everyone even further.
Not 'appreciating' 3DS may be sign of vision disorders, eye doctors warn
Quick! Somebody dig up the list of 2010 donors to the American Optometric Association -- and see if Nintendo's on there. The AOA, which represents America's "family eye doctors," has issued a press release to parents in part suggesting that Nintendo's 3DS handled "may actually help uncover subtle disorders" in children's vision when the newfangled three-dee-vice is released this year. "Difficulties with appreciating" 3DS (or other 3D devices and technology), the AOA warns, may suggest something is wrong with your kid -- like, really wrong. These "subtle problems" could lead to "rapid fatigue of the eyes" and dreaded "loss of 3D viewing," and it could get much worse: "loss of place when reading or copying, reduced reading comprehension, poor grades and increased frustration at school" are all possible nightmares come true if your kids show signs of the "3Ds of 3D viewing" (no, really) -- discomfort, dizziness or lack of depth -- while playing 3DS. How else will you know, if you don't buy one for them immediately? But what if your kids are too young? After all, Nintendo has warned that children under six shouldn't be playing the handheld in 3D mode. About that ... You see, "children younger than 6 can use the 3DS in 3D mode," the AOA assures, "if their visual system is developing normally." Listen to your family eye doctors, your kids could sure use a 3DS. "In moderation," of course.
Having problems seeing 3D? The American Optometric Association will be happy to help
We're not sure whether to peg this as a greedy attempt to capitalize on hype, a genuine effort to address a real public health issue or just somewhere in between, but if you came away from your last 3D viewing unimpressed (and it wasn't Clash of the Titans) there may be a fix. With up to 56 percent of people living with binocular vision problems that could impede their ability to see 3D, the American Optometric Association is recommending those experiencing complications (headaches, blurred vision, etc.) get checked for vision misalignment. If an optometrist detects a problem through an eye exam, standard therapy in the form of standard exercises can be an effective treatment and improve the underlying conditions that may be keeping you from seeing 3D. There are those who still won't be impressed by Piranha 3-D, but with a little work, they might at least be able to appreciate its visuals properly.
