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The Pacific Ocean is hiding a whole continent
Who knew that finding hidden continents was a trend? Researchers now say they've confirmed the existence of Zealandia, a giant land mass (roughly two thirds the size of Australia) hiding in the Pacific Ocean -- as you might guess, New Zealand is its peak. Academics have long suspected that the mass was a continent, but they only recently gathered enough information to make a convincing case.
Scientists may have discovered a lost continent
As much as we humans think we know about Earth's ancient composition, it's clear we have a lot to learn. Researchers now say they have evidence of a lost continent, Mauritia. The team found rocks on Mauritius with embedded zircon crystals that were almost 2 billion years old, or far older than the island itself ("just" 9 million years old) -- a hint that there's a continental crust lurking miles underneath. Most likely, the crystals were carried up to the surface by volcanic magma.
Mortal Online is expanding into the deserts of Sarducaa
Is it too early to declare the MMO expansion of 2015 yet? If not, then Mortal Online might have it in the bag as it prepares to open the doors of a new continent. Coming soon(tm) to the game will be the continent of Sarducaa, a land dominated by deserts as well as a smidge of "inpenetrable jungle." Sarducaa will be broken up into six zones and is larger than the existing Myrland. It will also boast enemy creatures with "expanded AI" and better loot. The team has posted a preview of Sarducaa, including concept art and a few tracks of the new soundtrack. [Thanks to Sandboxer III: Return of Sandboxing for the tip!]
PlanetSide 2 release date to be announced this Thursday
Sci-fi MMOFPS PlanetSide 2 has impressed beta testers with the sheer scale of the game's warzones and its rewarding cooperative gameplay, but there are still a few problems to iron out before launch. In this week's State of the Game development update, SOE announced the main areas developers are currently working on and promised to give the game a final release date this week. The release date announcement is scheduled during the SOE Live keynote at 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. PDT) on Thursday, October 18th. SOE has promised to have PlanetSide 2 out in 2012, and that leaves some fans skeptical as to whether the beta is far enough along to be released in the next few months. Developers are pressing ahead with plans to fix the performance issues some players are having, and the studio aims to release with a complex metagame involving three continents. Remaining development time will be spent on issues ranging from weapon balance to a tutorial that gets players into the action as quickly as possible.
Drakensang raises Atlantis update from the deeps
Drakensang Online welcomes the citizens of Atlantis to its game world today. The hack-and-slash MMO pushed its largest update ever to the live servers, and it's so big that the ocean itself could not contain it. That's what we call "hyperbole" in the biz. The Atlantis update is a wonder to behold. It includes a new continent with eight areas, 100 additional quests, and plenty of challenges for experienced players to tackle. The city itself is in ruins following its downfall by the giant snake Gorga. The update also includes a revamped world map that should help adventurers find their way. In related news, Bigpoint claims that over eight million players have registered for Drakensang Online. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Alganon delays expansion, plans double-XP weekend
Citing "unforseen circumstances," the team at QOL has announced that Alganon's Rise of the Ourobani expansion will be delayed until the fourth quarter of this year. "After evaluation of the project, it was decided that more time was needed in order to do some critical bug fixes as well as to spend more time on certain areas and features of the expansion in order to do the best work possible," the devs wrote in the April newsletter. Rise of the Ourobani will feature the playable titular race, a brand-new continent to explore, a Warden combat companion, PvP, and flying mounts. To soften the blow of the expansion's delay, QOL has released several sneak peek pictures and videos. Even though the expansion is a ways away, players have a reason to log in now, as Alganon is preparing a double-XP weekend from April 20 through the 23rd. You can watch Rise of the Ourobani flying mounts in action after the break.
Brazil wants to build South American broadband network, says it will bring down costs
A pan-South American broadband network: It sounds rather ambitious, but that's exactly what Brazil proposed yesterday, during a meeting of the continent's communications ministers. In an address to his colleagues, Brazil's Paulo Bernardo called for the creation of "a ring of South American fiber optic networks" encompassing the entire continent. This "South American solution," he added, would lower the costs of internet and mobile access across the region, benefiting consumers and ISPs alike. "Connection costs for South American users represent on average between 35 and 40 percent of the total price of the service," the minister explained. "An Internet provider in South America pays, in the best of cases, three times more for the connection than in the United States. This situation must change urgently." Bernardo estimates that the initiative would cost about $60 million and could be completed within two years, though it'll likely have to jump through a few more hoops before nearing reality.
New ARGO Online trailer shows off Naihill content
burda:ic has released the newest trailer for ARGO Online, the steampunk-fantasy MMO currently going through its open beta phase. The clip features footage from the newly discovered continent of Naihill, which has expanded ARGO's post-apocalyptic world and its content. In addition to new lands (and dungeons) to explore, Naihill offers new PvP battles, new mounts, and new pets and is currently available for open beta participants to experience. The video clip clocks in at just under two and a half minutes and is composed of equal parts fly-through footage, PvE combat, and PvP action. See for yourself after the cut.
Discovery kicking off continent-by-continent followup to Planet Earth with Wild Planet: North America
Having nabbed the former head of the BBC's Natural History Unit, Discovery has designs on its own epic globe trotting series promising to "capture the world, continent by continent in high definition, as its never been seen before." Naturally planned to debut first on Discovery's networks, as opposed to its partnership with BBC on Planet Earth, Wild Planet: North America will be the first of seven installments and start filming this fall. Expect HD cams to visit even more extreme locations, and all manner of wildlife to be snapped by the thousand lenses of myriad high speed cameras. We're ready. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Reuters]
A quick look at African game development
Unlike the mysterious PS3 demo Afrika, the continent of Africa doesn't exactly come up much in discussions of modern game development. This could change, though, if any of the African game projects detailed on the White African blog manage to catch on with a worldwide audience.Sure, the provided list of African games is pretty short, and is rendered even shorter when you take out American-made but Africa-themed games like Cabela's African Safari. Still, the fact that these games exist at all is news to us. We're particularly intrigued by Africa an ambitious, stalled MMO project set to take place in a 13th century version of the continent. Here's hoping we'll actually get to play it one of these days.
