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The Daily Grind: What game makes the best use of positioning in combat?
Guild Wars 2, The Secret World, and WildStar all have something in common: They all ask characters to jump around. Or roll around or dash around or just generally get out of clearly marked fields that indicate Something Bad Happens Here. Unlike some older games, none of these titles allows you to just fight by staying in place and swinging until your opponent drops. Of course, positioning has always played a role in MMO combat. Final Fantasy XI had Bards splitting effects between party regions and Rangers jockeying for the ideal range. World of Warcraft loves having damage fields in raid fights. TERA pretty much expects all players to be moving constantly. Then you have Star Trek Online's ship combat, where damage is almost entirely based on where you hit consistently. So what game do you think makes the best use of positioning in combat? Is it a system that would work in other games, or is it unique to one setting? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Double Robotics shows off its iPad-equipped robot
We heard about Double Robotics and their plan to make an iPad-topped robot last year, but the real thing is running around the floor of Macworld/iWorld 2013 this week, and I think it's the coolest thing I've seen at the show. Company founder David Cann told me that Double was originally working on a toy accessory for iOS, when he and his co-founder discovered that they'd have to do a lot of traveling to Asia to set up manufacturing and production lines. They had the idea then of making a telepresence robot with an iOS device, and from that idea, the Double was eventually born. The thing is quite impressive -- it's basically an iPad mounted on top of a long pole, which is then attached to a two-wheel base, so it all looks and works similar to a Segway. The iPad itself is only used for communication (it's controlled with another iPad remotely, with both movement controls, height adjustment controls and video passed back and forth across the Internet), so the box at the bottom is a real robot, running movement and keeping the whole setup stable. I got to drive the unit around for a bit, and it reminded me of a first-person shooter game -- there are two sticks, one for movement and one for rotation. The whole setup seems very strange at first, but I definitely get how it could be used, as the video is very clear from the cameras, and the unit itself is very easy to control and move around. Cann told me that the company has about 900 pre-orders for the device so far, and the team has heard of possible applications in security, schools, factories and even real estate: House sellers could use the device to give a remote tour, or potential home buyers could visit property from a distance, or at a specific time of the day when they couldn't be there in person. The battery in the robot unit will last about eight hours or so, depending on exactly how much driving you're doing, according to Cann. There's a stand on the bottom that you can extend remotely, to save a little battery life and hold the unit in place. And of course as the pole goes higher, the robot has a little tougher time trying to keep the whole rig upright, but as far as I could see, it was very stable. We even gave the robot a little shove, and it was more than capable of balancing itself out. The whole thing was very impressive. At US$2,500, this isn't exactly a consumer product, unless you're a consumer with a lot of money to burn. But for a telepresence solution, that price is relatively cheap, and the added benefit of using an iPad could be very attractive to potential buyers as well. Cann said the Double is just about ready -- the company hopes to have units shipping out to customers within the month.
Breakfast Topic: Could free movement in combat become a baseline mechanic?
Get out of the fire! Get into the healing! Strategic movement is a key precept in today's World of Warcraft. Encounter design for even everyday zone mobs scritch-scratches at the wool of player tunnel vision, nudging players to make haste out of various sizzling, glowing, steaming puddles of bad. But if we players are to remain light on our feet, we need to be effective even while we're in motion. Over the years, WoW has given us more and more ways to do exactly that. Yet even as mobility becomes a baseline expectation, casting or using skills on the move has not become a baseline ability. In an era of gameplay exemplified by Guild Wars 2's constant dodging, half of WoW still has its feet tangled in cast times and channeling and positioning. Like WoW and its puddles of bad, GW2 expects players to avoid certain damage -- but with much greater alacrity. In GW2, you hop sideways and leap backwards to dodge blows and spells, rather than hoping your stats will help you "dodge," mitigate, or absorb some of them. Dodging becomes a compelling mechanic that's fairly simple to adjust to for a WoW player who's used to moving out of the bad. Readjusting to WoW after a session of GW2, however, is more problematic. I find myself juking my own character (yes, I think you could call interrupting yourself to the point of inaction "juking") when I return to WoW after playing GW2, strafing and jiggling and double-tapping in a vain attempt to dodge my opponent's wrath. My hyper-twitchiness is only complicated by the fact that WoW wants you to move away from some but not all attacks. It's a difficult halfway point to come back to. We've come a long way from the days of plunking our butts down at range to plow through rotation and mana micromanagement. But have we come far enough? Does WoW need to lighten up even more, freeing players to cast and act freely with a more natural flow of action, rather than juggling discrete movement and action phases? Maybe you believe that the mix of both types of abilities presents its own interesting challenges. It certainly has become the foundation of boss encounter design and strategies, and it's a pillar of PvP balance as well. Taking away the yin and yang of movement and stillness would tear apart the whole. What if we could gain the ability to move with complete freedom during combat in WoW without destroying encounter and game balance? Would we also benefit from the more dynamic dodging mechanics of games like Guild Wars 2? Or do you like WoW's blend of movement and static elements just as it is?
Ibis hotels to have robots paint art while they track your sleep: no, that's not creepy at all (video)
First they invaded our factories, and now it's our hotel rooms. Is nowhere safe from the robots? In truth, Ibis' upcoming Sleep Art project is very slick, even if it smacks of robot voyeurism. Ibis hotels in Berlin, London and Paris will let 40 successful applicants sleep on beds that each have 80 sensors translating movements, sound and temperature into truly unique acrylic paintings by robotic arms connected through WiFi. You don't have to worry that the machines are literally watching you sleep -- there's no cameras or other visual records of the night's tossing and turning, apart from the abstract lines on the canvas. All the same, if you succeed in landing a stay in one of the Sleep Art hotel rooms between October 13th and November 23rd, you're a brave person. We all know how this ends.
MechWarrior Online dev diary gives handy piloting tips
If you think you're ready to hop into the cockpit of a giant robot in MechWarrior Online and go out there all guns a-blazing, think again. You first need to learn how to pilot such a machine, which the developers say is quite unlike your traditional MMO avatar or vehicle. For one thing, you need to consider that parts of the 'Mech work independently of each other. You can be going in one direction, have your torso twisted to face another, and have your arms moving in yet another. Plus, there is the issue of heat generation -- and shutdown -- to consider. So take a moment to brush up on these basics with a developer video on the subject after the jump. Your life may just depend on it.
New Nike+ shoes further enhance digital training
The Verge has a long look at the latest improvements to Nike's Nike+ fitness system, which uses sensors in your shoes (and on the company's very popular Fuelband peripheral) to calculate fitness and workout information, and attempt to help keep you motivated while working out. The whole system sounds very complex: There are multiple sensors in the shoes designed to track exactly what you're doing and how, and all of that movement is broken down into a single number that aims to push performance. Unfortunately, Nike is somewhat skittish when it comes to actually explaining what that number means -- while getting out and moving around will almost always be good for your health, Nike's reluctance to pin down its formula does reveal that this is still all marketing for shoes, despite what the PR department may say about just trying to encourage fitness. Hey, if the system gets you out and running, or playing basketball, or whatever you can do to exercise and move, then it's working, right?
Trojan targets Mac-using activists in China
There's a new backdoor trojan exploit out there for Mac users that appears to originate in China, specifically targeted at political activists in the Uighur movement against that country. The trojan appears in email inboxes as a picture attachment which, when opened, secretly installs information gathering and remote control tools, characteristic of advanced persistent threat (or APT malware). Security experts say that the trojan was almost certainly created in China, and when you combine that fact with connections to certain required servers in that country (as well as an observation that some of the debug code in the attack is in English), it seems likely that this is a coordinated attack against this activist movement. With Mac use on the rise in the East, including high profile political activists, Macs are facing a growing malware threat in that region. There are already a few varieties of this attack in the wild, but hopefully fixes for the exploit will be available soon.
Qbo robot gets Xtion Pro motion sensor add-on, can't help but gloat (video)
Who would spend their allowance on Asus's expensive Xtion Pro motion sensor? Qbo the cute open-source robot would, because he needs a constant stream of new abilities to maintain his youthful self-image. The sensor's laser emissions create a "3D point cloud" that is added to data from Qbo's existing odometer and gyroscope to create maps, model objects in 3D and plan movements. Why the Xtion instead of the cheaper Kinect? The robot's builders, The Corpora, simply say they picked it for its "small size and weight" as well as its ability to adapt easily -- which was precisely Asus's developer-friendly intention in the first place. See the world as Qbo sees it, right after the break.
The Daily Grind: How do you like to move it move it?
Zentia, Guild Wars, and a sampling of other MMOs offer what seems to me a bizarre movement option: click-to-move. I suppose I'm a first-person or chase-cam kinda girl, but I can't imagine using click-to-move in any sort of competitive 3-D gaming environment. There's always a better use for those mouse-clicks. Granted, I can understand why it's the only option in a strategy-sandbox like the freshly launched Wakfu, and I did have a go at making click-to-move work in Guild Wars on a touchscreen, but even that was iffy at best. So today I'm wondering, when exactly is click-to-move the best option? And how do you like to move it move it in MMOs? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Kinect hack lets you manage your bank account with gestures, will occupy your living room (video)
You know all those convoluted gestures and hate-infused fist pumps you make every time you look at your bank account? Well, you can now put them to good use, thanks to a new Kinect hack from Lithuania-based Etronika. The company's software, which made its debut at last week's CTIA E&A event, effectively brings motion-controlled banking directly to your living room. All you have to do is stand in front of your display, clap your hands to choose an icon, or wave your hand back and forth to navigate across the app's carousel menu. This means you can pay your bills, check your balance and return to fetal position without even touching a sharp object. "A lot of banking software apps are filled with boring crap," Etronika CEO Kestutis Gardziulis explained with refreshing candor. "With our software, you could be on the couch at home, having a beer, all while dealing with your bank account and kicking back." Beer, banking and body language -- sounds scandalous! Head past the break to watch a demo video, starring Pam Beesly's doppelgänger.
Mythos Europe adds PvP features and new levels
"Lamentation" is a word that isn't associated with PvP as often as it ought to be, with the lyric "QQ" generally taking its place. But the latest update for Mythos is bringing back lamentation in style with the new Lamento PvP system in place. Players at level 50 or up can fight in 1v1 or 2v2 matches against other players, with the winner obtaining Lamento points that can be used to purchase new level 51 armor and weapons. What's that? You're stuck at level 50? Well, not any longer -- level 51 has been added, allowing players access to new pieces of equipment and another notch of power. The full list of patch changes is quite extensive, including new rewards for clearing dungeons quickly, improvements to movement speed, and new stats that can be generated when items drop. Amidst all of the new doses of power, it's for the best that PvP is coming out in force. After all, why settle for crushing computer-controlled enemies when you could be hearing the lamentations of your opponents?
Watch iPhone owners travel around Europe
Over 800 iPhone owners donated their location information to Michael Krell of Crowdflow. He took this data plotted it on a map and set it in motion. It's captivating to watch the firefly-like blips move here and there across the region. Check out the video below. [Via GigaOM]
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite mode of travel?
From the earliest days of video games, players have understood that there's a lot of ground to cover. Of course, you could always walk around like an animal, but most MMOs give you a variety of different ways to get from place to place. Aion lets you take to the sky on wings, City of Heroes lets you take to the sky on absolutely nothing if you like, and Guild Wars lets you just teleport wherever you want to go once you've visited at least once. Whether you're hopping on a flight path in World of Warcraft, fueling up your ATV in Fallen Earth, or setting off at warp speed in Star Trek Online, it's still the same core concept -- going from point A to point B in the fastest and most stylish fashion possible. So what's your favorite way to fly, drive, or ride around your game of choice? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Paralyzed man can stand and walk again, thanks to spinal implant
Here's an amazing story to end your week on a high note: a 25-year-old paraplegic is now walking again, thanks to a groundbreaking procedure developed by neuroscientists at the University of Louisville, UCLA and Cal Tech. The Oregon man, Rob Summers, was paralyzed below the chest in 2006, after getting hit by a speeding car. This week, however, doctors announced that Summers can now stand up on his own and remain standing for up to four minutes. With the help of a special harness, he can even take steps on a treadmill and can move his lower extremities for the first time in years. It was all made possible by a spinal implant that emits small pulses of electricity, designed to replicate signals that the brain usually sends to coordinate movement. Prior to receiving the implant in 2009, Summers underwent two years of training on a treadmill, with a harness supporting his weight and researchers moving his legs. This week's breakthrough comes after 30 years of research, though scientists acknowledge that this brand of epidural stimulation still needs to be tested on a broader sample of subjects before any definitive conclusions can be drawn. Summers, meanwhile, seems understandably elated. "This procedure has completely changed my life," the former baseball player said. "To be able to pick up my foot and step down again was unbelievable, but beyond all of that my sense of well-being has changed." We can only imagine.
Anonymous members say Sony attacks were 'likely' connected to movement
The Financial Times reports that two "veteran" members of Anonymous say some element of the organization was "likely" behind the attacks on Sony earlier this month. At least, they're saying that as much as any two people can take credit for a large, essentially unconnected group of strangers. There was an "official" Anonymous movement against Sony called "OpSony," say the veteran members, and according to them, "if you say you are Anonymous, and do something as Anonymous, then Anonymous did it." That's the problem Sony is having with the non-organization -- members of Anonymous have both now taken credit for and denied being behind the attacks, but since Anonymous is by definition a decentralized, self-defined community, it can't really "take credit" or be held responsible for anything itself. That said, while the Anonymous movement is hard to pin down, it is made up of a group of real people, and those people are being investigated as "one of the key targets" by US law enforcement. If and when charges are brought in this case, "Anonymous" won't be on the stand -- it's not a real organization you can arrest or subpoena. But the hackers who were reportedly acting in conjunction with the online movement likely will be.
NASA makes longer, straighter piezoelectric nanowires in microgravity, no flat iron needed
Piezoelectric nanowires are the stuff that make power-generating pants a possibility, and that prodigious potential has drawn the attention of NASA. You see, self-powered spacesuits are awfully attractive to our nation's space agency, and a few of its finest student researchers have discovered that the current-creating strands of zinc oxide can be made longer and straighter -- and therefore more powerful -- when freed from gravity's unrelenting pull. That means nanowires grown in microgravity could lead to higher capacity batteries and the aforementioned juice-generating interstellar garb. Of course, there's no such end-products yet, but let's see if NASA can do what others have not: give pants-power to the people.
Nanogenerators produce electricity by squeezing your fingers together, while you dance
It's been a while since we last heard about nanogenerators -- you know, those insanely tiny fibers that could potentially be woven into your hoodie to juice up your smartphone. Dr. Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology has reported that he and his team of Einsteins constructed nanogenerators with enough energy to potentially power LCDs, LEDs and laser diodes by moving your various limbs. These micro-powerhouses -- strands of piezoelectric zinc oxide, 1 / 500 the width of a single hair strand -- can generate electrical charges when flexed or strained. Wang and his team of researchers shoved a collection of their nanogenerators into a chip 1 / 4 the size of a stamp, stacked five of them on top of one another and can pinch the stack between their fingers to generate the output of two standard AA batteries -- around 3 volts. Although it's not much, we're super excited at this point in development -- imagine how convenient to charge your phone in your pocket sans the bulky battery add-ons. And that's only one application of this technology. Yea, we know.
LotRO blog discusses using Kinect to control a PC MMO
Be honest with yourselves -- the first thing you thought when you saw Kinect was along the lines of "OMG imagine an MMO on that!" Sadly, no MMOs have yet been released for Kinect. For the moment, it seems that we'll have to draw our bows, swing our swords and run head-first into danger through the good old-fashioned mouse and keyboard -- or will we? Some time ago, an open-source project started up with the goal of bringing Kinect to the PC. Drivers were created to pipe the inputs from Kinect's infra red field sensors to a PC program, which could then produce a silhouette of the player and even a basic skeleton. Using this software, players can convert body movements into a series of keystrokes. Orchida over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor has seen the potential in this early PC adaptation to control MMOs and has given it a test-drive in Lord of the Rings Online. For those with Kinect who want to give it a try in their favourite MMOs, Orchida gives a rundown of the software you'll need and how to configure it to convert body movements into keystrokes for movement and attacks. The article lists some valid pros and cons to using Kinect as a control method for LotRO and has a video of the entire process in action.
Arcane Brilliance: The mage survival guide, part 2
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, we continue our discussion of ways to avoid dying horribly. This week's tip: Roll a death knight. Yes, the sad reality of being a mage is the ever-present threat of a swift and ignominious demise. We're like every character in The Walking Dead: We could go at any time, and our only consolation is that God willing, we'll be able to blow up a few zombies on our way out. Last week, we discussed a few methods for surviving to pew pew another day, namely aggro drop and damage mitigation. This week, we turn our attention to two other lifesaving techniques: movement and crowd control. Just remember as we go forward that every time a mage survives a fight, an angel punches a warlock in the face. Have I used that joke before? I may have. Doesn't make it any less true. Angels hate warlocks. So does Jesus. And me. And, I pray, all of you.
November brings updates to Final Fantasy XIV's travel and questing
The Final Fantasy series as a whole has been marked by a surfeit of crystals, and Final Fantasy XIV's Aetheryte is heir to the tradition. Floating just above the ground, these crystals serve as both a nexus of quests and a point of transportation. Both of these functions are getting a distinct boost with the pending November version update set for the 24th. Teleportation costs are being reduced for both the major cities and three player-selected "favorite" camps, allowing players to zap from place to place faster. Return costs are also being reduced to 1 anima, allowing players who are either lost or in a dangerous region a quick option to get to safety. Meanwhile, levequest functionality at crystals is being improved, with players able to scale the difficulty of a given levequest downward once the quest has been started. This goes hand-in-hand with adjustments to the strength of enemies found in guildleves and improvements to the rewards of leve-linking, giving players more incentive to try to push themselves to the limits of what they can accomplish. The changes should be welcome boons to Final Fantasy XIV players, allowing easier movement and questing under all circumstances.
