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The Firing Line: DayZ, Forge, and Rapid Assault
A couple of interesting items came across The Firing Line desk this week. One of them was the fact that PlanetSide 2's beta will be cranking up inside of a month. And there was much rejoicing. OK, now that that's out of the way, the other items concern games that are decidedly smaller in scale but no less interesting. Join me after the break for a look at the latest from the devs behind World War II Online (or Battleground Europe, if you prefer), and a new title called Forge. Oh yeah, and 500,000 of you are playing something called DayZ.
DayZ shooter mod reaches 500k users
What do you get when you cross a hyper-realistic open-world shooter with a zombie-driven third-party mod? A certified phenomenon with more users than your average MMORPG, according to our friends at Joystiq. "Congratulations everyone, with your support through tough times, mistakes, troubles, and technical problems, we now have over 500k users," DayZ dev Dean Hall tweeted yesterday. The mod has taken the shooter world by storm with its blend of realism, unforgiving gameplay, and brain-munching undead. The project turns Bohemia Interactive's Arma 2 into a desperate fight for survival in a world ravaged by zombie apocalypse. While the mod isn't technically an MMO, its persistence and massive world are certainly MMO-like. DayZ is on track to overtake the sales of the game on which it is based. "Currently we're running 22,000 concurrent at full peak, and 10,000 off peak, which is pretty huge numbers considering the original data structure and system was designed to handle 100 concurrents and two servers," he said.
Custom PC desk / case combo ditches glass, metal for wood
Desk case PC mods have lit up our radar before, but a modder by the name of Pirate -- who's no stranger to us -- has dropped the typical glass and metal enclosure for medium-density fiberboard. Though the material choice was an effort to avoid buying a new desk, it created a need for a robust cooling system. Five fans (three exhaust, two intake), a radiator and a liquid-cooling system keep the rig at roughly 88 F (31 C) with ambient temperatures hovering around 79 F (26 C). As for horsepower, the workstation features a Core-i5-2500k processor and a Radeon HD 7950 graphics card sporting a water cooling block on an Asus Gene IV microATX motherboard. Visuals are piped to three displays in an Eyefinity configuration that are held by a modded ergonomic stand. Pictures of the build process in excruciating detail await you at the source. Update: Ben Willock commented to let us know that it's sporting a Core-i5-2500k processor, not a Core-i5-2000k. We've updated the post.
Go make some Octodad mods for us! Please!
There you were, playing your favorite game featuring a secret octopus father, thinking to yourself," Man, I like Octodad, but wouldn't it be better with secret octopus ghosts hidden randomly throughout the world?" Thankfully for you, crazy person, the team behind Octodad just released "OctodadEditor," which is apparently "the basis of the editor for Octodad: Dadliest Catch" (the Octodad sequel, obviously).Sure, the editor's a bit on the buggy side (indie development, folks!), and it's PC-only, but just think about all those secret octopus ghosts! Someone's gotta make that madness happen! Grab the editor right here, and head over to the Octodad blog for more thorough instructions on how it all works.
Intel's NUC mini-desktop said to cost around $400
Intel's Next Unit of Computing mini-desktop is reportedly going to cost around $400 when it arrives in the third quarter of the year. Designed for kiosks and digital signage setups, the weeny box has attracted so much interest from solder-wielding modders that the company expects it to go on general sale. The initial unit will include a Sandy Bridge Core i3, 4GB RAM and a 40GB SSD, while on the outside it'll come with three USB 2.0 ports and dual HDMI outputs. That high price might dampen the spirits of those hoping for an Intel-powered Arduino / Raspberry Pi, but we still expect to see it crop up in plenty of brilliant mods next year.
EVGA's GeForce GTX 680 Classified tempts overclockers with watery siren call
Judging by a sneak Computex preview, EVGA's intentions for the upcoming GTX 680 Classified graphics card are not a thorny mystery. With an optional water-cooling block and voltage control inputs, there's plenty here to seduce the hardcore modder. The company isn't talking numbers just yet, but if terms like "14-phase power design" whet your appetite, then you're in luck. In any case, like its other Classified mates, it's apt to be the company's top GeForce GTX 680 performer. So, if you're plugging in the pumps and hoses for that next mod, you might want to leave a slot -- or four -- open for this one.
Civilization 5 coming to Steam Workshop
Civilization 5 is hitting Steam Workshop soon, enhancing a bevy of modding features in the full game along with the coming Gods & Kings expansion pack. Civilization 5's current modding system is getting a facelift to include mod author pages complete with a "follow" option, the ability to create collections, favorite mods and comment on them directly.2K Games says it will update with more information on the official forums next week.
PSP gets its own homebrew online gaming network, outweighs Sony's own efforts (video)
Sony made much ado of the PSP's position as one of the first online gaming consoles, but unless your idea of online play involves Skype calls, there hasn't been a lot to go on since 2004. Team PRO is addressing that deficit through Prometheus, a completely community-driven rival to PSN. The hack lets PSP games with support for ad hoc WiFi play go online by wrapping the normal local-only multiplayer in an emulator library that broadcasts to other Prometheus players. It requires a second-generation or newer PSP as well as a wireless router that can expose the PSP in DMZ mode, but there's a live who's-playing board and even an in-game chat mode to coordinate that round of Fat Princess as it happens. Of course, using a wholly separate gaming network outside of Sony's rubric involves a whole lot of warranty-voiding risk; if you're willing to live on the edge, though, Internet games of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker or Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 will let you put off that possible PlayStation Vita purchase for a little longer.
Adafruit modder builds Captain Jack's Vortex Manipulator / Leela's wrist-lo-jacko-mator for real
This impressive wrist / forearm cuff is the brainchild of Adafruit forum member and modder Stephanie, who has built a sensor platform into the fashion accessory. The device can monitor the exposure value, track your movements over GPS, measure your galvanic skin response, tell you the temperature, humidity and even doubles as a watch and flash-light. It was built around Sparkfun's Pro Micro development board and a boatload of sensors purchased from Adafruit. We might just build one ourselves with a radiation detector, so that we can live out our Pip-Boy fantasies down at the mall. %Gallery-156412%
Google pumps cash into UK classrooms, will buy Arduino, Raspberry Pi sets for kids
Eric Schmidt has said that Google will make cash available through its investment into Teach First to buy Raspberry Pi and Arduino units for British schoolchildren. He was at the UK's Science Museum to talk about Mountain View's partnership with the charity, which puts top university graduates into schools to teach disadvantaged kids. The Android-maker wrote a cheque to fund over 100 places on the scheme, aiming to get bright computer scientists to reintroduce engineering principles to pupils. Mr. Schmidt hoped that with the right support, kits like the Raspberry Pi would do for this generation what the BBC Micro did three decades ago.
MaKey, MaKey turns the whole world into a keyboard
The litany of exciting Maker Faire products continues with MaKey MaKey, a device that turns anything capable of conducting electricity into a controller. Developed by MIT Media Lab students Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, you simply run an alligator clip from the board to an object and hold a connecting wire in your hand. Connecting over USB, it's entirely programming-free, but if you find your interest piqued, you can flip the board over to use the Arduino module baked into the hardware. It's already surpassed its original $25,000 Kickstarter goal and when the run begins, you'll be able to pick up everything you need for just $35 -- but if you can't wait that long, head on down to the Bay Area this weekend. [Thanks, Ryan]
Visualized: Arduino gets super-sized ahead of Maker Faire
This is Make's John Edgar Park, manfully clutching his Arduino Grande. The oversized device isn't just for show though, it's a fully working unit for those projects where a standard sized PCB just won't do. He'll be taking excited modders though the process of building it at Maker Faire on Saturday, just head over to the demo stage at 5:30pm with your pre-written Super Size Me jokes close to hand.
Arduino mechs learn RobotC, plot assimilation with Lego Mindstorms
Arduino boards have smoothed the creation of lots of eccentric thingamajigs, but robotics and controllers are still not for the faint of heart. Luckily, RoboMatter is coming to the rescue of would-be roboticists with a public beta version of its C-based RobotC language for Arduino. Joining Lego Mindstorm and other bots, Arduino will get RobotC's straightforward sensor and motor controls, along with a debugger and sample program library, while still keeping its native Wiring language. So, if you want to be a Kickstarter magnate , or just out-weird everyone else, rolling your own droid is now a bit easier.
Star Wars Arcade gets fan-made mini-me, weeps tears of joy (video)
Arcade fan (and genius) Le Chuck got up one morning and thought "Why not build a perfect replica of Atari's Star Wars Arcade, at 1:6 scale?" The result is this amazing 12-inch cabinet with a fully working Atari-yoke, handmade from aluminum and a pair of potentiometers. Tucked inside the box is a modded Caanoo running MAME4all, which has been tweaked to boot straight into the game when activated. The whole project took him over 80 hours to put together, but we think it was time very well spent. If you want to see the thing in action (and sing along to the 8-bit version of the theme) then head on past the break.
HTC Sensation ICS camera mod allows 20Mbps 1080p video, adds 'experimental' 1250 ISO
It looks as if yesterday's Tango isn't the only thing being delivered from the XDA forums, as user NODO-GT is hooking some of you up with a sensational hack. That is, if you're rocking an HTC Sensation coated with a tasty (albeit unofficial) Ice Cream Sandwich ROM. The handset's shooter mod allows for 20Mbps 1080p video recording (double the stock 10Mbps) while also boosting quality in the process, as well as bumping the 2MB size cap of images. In addition, XDA member krogoth chipped in with an "experimental" 1250 ISO mode -- you know, for times when you feel like shooting a starry night. Those looking to take HQ Sensation for a snap can do so by heading over to the source below.
DUST 514 driver's ed includes stealthing, siege mode, and power draining
While the idea of piloting your own tank or drop ship in a virtual world may seem like a carefree joyride of devastation and destruction, think again: Turning on the engine in a DUST 514 vehicle may be the last thing you ever do if you're ignorant of the basics. In a new dev post, CCP opens up the manual of vehicle operation in its upcoming title and tells it like it is. For starters, players will need to train up specific skills in order to even be allowed behind the wheel of any of these beasts, and even then, a clueless operator could find him or herself a sitting duck if attention isn't paid to power consumption (in DUST 514's terminology, capacitors). Equipped modules all draw power from capacitors during combat, and while capacitors do regenerate over time, they can be drained, both from a player's actions or an enemy's attack. As such, it's important to keep power demands in mind when modding a vehicle. Two DUST 514 war machines are used as examples in the article. There's the Marauder HAV, a tank-busting tank that comes with an alternate siege mode, and there's the Force Recon dropship, which can clock, jam enemy sensors, and drain enemy vehicles' power. The post ends with a hypothetical battle scenario involving both of these, showing how they could be used out in the field.
Arduino hack turns Space Invaders alarm into Gmail Notifier (video)
Glaswegian engineer Grant Gibson spied a Space Invaders alarm clock being flogged off cheap ($5) and decided it deserved hacking. When activated, the battery-powered unit scuttled left to right, old-school style as it roused sleepy gamers but Mr. Gibson added a little Arduino magic to turn it into a moving Gmail notifier. Stripping out the battery compartment, he installed a USB-powered Arduino Nano, programmed to poll his email and activate the motion whenever he received a new message. The system is ripe for customization, it can be set up to alert when a front door bell is pushed or a notification received on Twitter -- which you'll be allowed to try as he's included all the details on his blog. The project (including the Nano and Alarm Clock) came to $20 and three hours of his time, which we're understandably impressed by. Head on past the break to see the thing in action and then fling yourself (highland-style) down to the source link to learn how to build your own.
Skyrim's Creation Kit available 'soon' on PC; latest vid offers a first look
Trolls, dragons, giant spiders, giant crabs, giant ... people -- Bethesda's Skyrim has it all, at least in terms of things that can kill you. But series fans know that they can take the game a few steps further into crazytown with mods, as we've seen over the past few months. Bethesda knows this too, clearly, as the developer is releasing a Creation Kit sometime soon which will allow users to more easily mod and share creations for Skyrim.Interestingly, the company notes in its developer diary that it's "going to keep looking for ways to get mods to more people, and hopefully one day to our console audience," but comes up short of saying anything more concrete. Frankly, we'd love to be able to snap into a Skyrim with our fellow Macho Man fans out there (oooooh yeah!), but we simply don't have a PC strong enough.The Creation Kit will support Steam Workshop, allowing mods to be shared via Steam users easily. We'd suggest pushing that Steam Workshop support to PS3 given Steam's past with Sony's home console, but then we also know of Skyrim's ugly past with the PS3. Oh well, maybe next game, right?
NES controller lets you stomp Koopas, save Princess Peach in capacitive fashion (video)
Is your NES controller in another castle? Maybe you're just pining for your smartphone's capacitive game controls for some reason. Regardless, here's a little piece of tech that just might put the fire in your flower: the capacitive touch NES controller. This sucker is milled from a copper board using a device called the MezzoMill, which -- besides making turtle-stomping peripherals -- also can be used to produce guitar effect pads, virtual keyboards, bicycle rim lights and all sorts of circuits that might tickle your fancy. Unfortunately, the creator isn't as well-funded as this inkjet-based control circuit project so he's trying to raise money through Kickstarter to make the mill in a large enough run to lower costs. Given how Kickstarter generated nearly $100 million in funding last year, maybe he's got a fighting chance. See the buttonless controller work its capacitive magic after the break.
Roll up, roll up for the magical mystery Arduino tour
If this news isn't as obvious as John Obvious: Professor of Obvious studies at Cambridge University: we love Arduino 'round these parts. Phil and Limor of Adafruit Industries took a tour of the Italian foundry's Turin factory and took a gallery of pics (and video!) on the way. It's a great insight into how the building process works for the modding tool, and you can head on down to our source link to check out the gallery in full -- we've also included a direct link to the video as the guys walk down the production line in our more coverage link. We're so good to you, you know.
