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Raven Studio game testers can vote to form a union, NLRB rules
A group of 21 quality assurance testers at Raven Software have received the blessing of the National Labor Relations Board to conduct a union vote, per a 27-page ruling from the agency released Friday.
Call of Duty might take a year off in 2023
Activision is reportedly skipping a major Call of Duty game in 2023 as it tries to slow the pace of releases.
The next Call of Duty will launch alongside a revamped 'Warzone'
The next Call of Duty game is a 'Modern Warfare' sequel, and it's launching in tandem with a brand new 'Warzone' experience.
'Call of Duty' shake-up may see 'Black Ops 5' arrive in 2020
Activision's Call of Duty release schedule has been predictable for years -- the company has rotated between three studios, with Treyarch pumping out a Black Ops game every three years like clockwork. However, you might be in for a surprise in 2020. Kotaku sources claim Activision has changed from its original plan, where Raven and Sledgehammer would produce a single-player oriented game, in favor of Treyarch taking the lead with Black Ops 5. It would still be set in the Cold War as intended, but Raven and Sledgehammer would be relegated to support studios adding a story to Treyarch's (presumably multiplayer-heavy) title.
Tesla may outfit Model S and X with longer-range motors
Tesla's Model S and Model X sales fell sharply at the start of 2019, but the company might have a way to entice hesitant buyers: give them the range they're asking for. Electrek sources claim the brand is planning to outfit its older EVs with new motors based on the same permanent magnet reluctance technology you find in the more recent Model 3. While the exact specs aren't available, the greater efficiency of PMR (97 percent versus 93 percent for the current AC induction motors) would likely wring out some extra range without noticeable compromises to the design.
Huawei puts giant ravens around the UK because that's not creepy at all
If an eight-foot tall raven suddenly appeared nearby, you'd probably be left wondering just how many minutes you have left until the end times arrive. But Huawei is hoping UK residents have a slightly more positive reaction. To promote its P20 Pro smartphone, the company has manufactured a number of giant ravens that it will place in cities throughout the UK this weekend and Huawei says it's doing this because its research shows Brits want to get closer to wildlife.
RED starts selling its 'budget' $15,000 camera with Apple
RED, known for high-end cinema cameras used by James Cameron, Peter Jackson and others, has just formed a very unusual retail partnership. It's now offering the 4.5K, 120 fps RED Raven camera exclusively at Apple.com for a mere $15,000. That makes it far and away Apple's priciest third-party accessory, and the priciest product, period, on Apple.com, as far as I can tell -- and it's not exactly a thrift shop in the first place.
GE made an oilfield drone that can sniff out gas leaks
At the opening of GE's new oil and gas R&D center in Oklahoma, the multi-business company has also presented its new methane-sniffing helicopter drone called "Raven." GE started working on the project last year, and it proved that the 20-pound machine can indeed do what it was created for during a test run in July: Raven successfully found gas leaking from a couple of oil wells in Arkansas. A lot of companies in other industries already use UAVs for inspections, including Con Edison and Airbus. GE created the Raven specifically to save oil and natural gas firms money and to help them assess all the data gathered from their facilities.
Red reveals its most affordable 4K camera, the $5,950 Raven
Red, the company best known for professional cameras used on films like The Hobbit, has just launched a camera for producers with more modest budgets. Called Raven, it can produce 4,096 x 2,160 4k RAW video at up to 120 fps, and 2,048 x 1,080 ProRes at 60 fps max. Red has priced it at $5,950 for the body only, though you'll likely need to spend $10,000 or more before you can shoot anything. You'll get the same Red Dragon sensor that's on the company's $29,000 Epic, albeit a smaller version that's between APS-C and Micro Four Thirds sizes.
Call of Duty: Ghosts PS4 review: Haunted by the past
Call of Duty: Ghosts represents a new set of challenges for Activision's flagship series. Ghosts marks the first game to transition to a new generation of platforms since the franchise gained its fame with Modern Warfare, and it raises the question "Does the Call of Duty formula still work?" With a highly-touted new engine in tow, Ghosts is Infinity Ward's first major shift in the series since it moved out of the Second World War. But Infinity Ward – along with a handful of other developers, including Neversoft and Raven – has delivered a largely by-the-numbers installment in Call of Duty: Ghosts. It layers a fresh coat of paint over a tired design document; a document that brings players down a rote campaign path before landing them in a multiplayer mode that abandons many of the creative advancements seen in Black Ops 2. While even a routine Call of Duty still brings with it a blockbuster ride through exciting engagements, and its multiplayer experience can compete with the industry's best, Call of Duty: Ghosts is a step in the wrong direction for the series and a stumble into the next generation.
Addon Spotlight: Buffs and the removal thereof
Last time on Addon Spotlight, we took a look at the use of powerful addon Weak Auras to track buffs on yourself, and as promised, we're back with a few other recommendations for you to have a look at. As we mentioned before, but it bears repeating, tracking your buffs is rather important for effective DPS, and for maximising your efficiency as just about every class. There's almost always something to be keeping an eye on, and there are several addons out there to help you with it! We're also going to take a look at something a little different, for your delectation, and that's an addon to help you with stealing other people's buffs! While more class-specific, only really useful for classes with an offensive dispel, it's definitely handy to have in mind. Quoth the Raven We're going to start with my current favorite tracker, outside Weak Auras, and that's Raven. You can see it in action in the video in the header image, on my mage, and I'm showing off both the buff tracker and the debuff tracker. The debuff tracker is the section that stacks up to the right hand side, while the buff trackers sit over to the left of the mage. As you can likely see, there are several different buff tracking elements visible.
EVE Evolved: Fitting battleships for PvP in Odyssey, part 2
Battleships used to be the backbone of every major PvP fleet in EVE Online, but recent years have seen them increasingly overtaken by more mobile Battlecruisers, Heavy Assault Cruisers, and tech 3 Strategic Cruisers. Armour buffered battleships are still used in carrier-supported fleets and for a while nullsec played host to huge missile-spamming Maelstrom blobs of unholy death, but many of the battleships just haven't been worth using. Developers saught to rectify that in the recent Odyssey expansion with a complete balance overhaul of the standard tech 1 battleships, and it's starting to pay off. In last week's EVE Evolved, I looked at how Odyssey buffed the tier one Dominix, Scorpion, Typhoon, and Armageddon beyond all recognition and experimented with new PvP setups for each of them. This week I've turned my attention toward the tier 2 battleships, which turned out to be equally versatile and deadly. Now officially falling under the umbrella of "Combat Battleships," the Megathron, Raven, Apocalypse, and Tempest have become powerful damage-dealing platforms for fleet warfare. Each of them can now fulfill sniper or close-range damage roles and carry a spare flight of Warrior II drones to bat off tacklers, but what's impressed me the most is the sheer level of damage and tank they can achieve. In this week's EVE Evolved, I experiment with setups for the recently revamped Megathron, Raven, Apocalypse, and Tempest tier 2 battleships. These setups may require Advanced Weapon Upgrades 4 and a cheap 1-3% powergrid or CPU implant.
Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy source code released
Raven, the studio behind beloved PC games Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy, has released the source code for both games – partly in tribute to yesterday's closure of LucasArts and partly to thank fans for playing."We loved and appreciated the experience of getting to make Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy for LucasArts," Raven told Kotaku Australia. "As a gift to the persistently loyal fanbase for our Jedi games and in memory of LucasArts, we are releasing the source code for both games for people to enjoy and play with." The source code for each game can be found on Source Forge through the source links below, opening the game up to anxious modders across the galaxy.Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast launched on the PC in 2002, with ports to Mac OSX, the original Xbox and Nintendo GameCube coming the following year. It's the sequel to 1998's Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith, developed by LucasArts for the PC, and revolves around the New Republic that forms after the collapse of the Empire. (Spoiler?)
Injustice: Gods Among Us' latest character reveal is so Raven
News of a new costumed adventurer confirmed as an Injustice: Gods Among Us combatant feels like a semi-daily occurrence lately -- a trend that continues with this morning's affirmation of Raven as a playable character in NetherRealm Studios' new fighter.As seen in her debut trailer (once available here, since vanished), Raven's abilities are just as floaty and mystical as one would expect, with quick, swiping melee attacks and what appears to be an alternate/evil stance with limited teleportation capabilities. Raven's big, scary, four-eyed father also makes a brief appearance during her fittingly insane super, and if you're familiar enough with her story to know his name, you're also familiar enough to be upset about her outfit and chin.
Blood Pact: Taking care of your DoTs
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill admits to problems with DoT clipping (*gasp*) and finds a way to fix it. Every warlock has at least one damage over time effect to take care of. Destruction has Immolate. Demonologists flip between Corruption and Doom (Metamorphosis), though I suppose you could count Shadowflame off Hand of Gul'dan as one. Affliction is the "DoT spec," starring Agony, Corruption, Unstable Affliction, with appearances of Haunt.
GamersFirst dropping Sword 2, title picked up by T3Fun
GamersFirst is out of the Sword 2 business, it seems. The publisher announced that it will be dropping its contract to publish and host the title at the end of the year. Fans of the game have no reason to fret that they're about to lose their world, however; HanbitSoft's subsidiary T3Fun will take up the slack come January 1st. Due to the transfer between companies, players will need to expressly consent to allow their game data to be transferred over. The announcement post contains instructions how to do just that. Also, Sword 2 players won't be able to transfer their GamersFirst store currency, so spending it now is highly recommended. There are a lot of details to go over, so if this affects you, be sure to read the whole post very carefully. [Thanks to William for the tip!]
Call of Duty Elite app gets Black Ops 2 support on iOS, Android
The Call of Duty Elite app has been updated on iOS and Android to support this week's monolithic debut, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. You can use the app to check your career stats and recent match performances, edit your classes, and search for and apply to Clans – pretty much the same stuff you can do with the app via Modern Warfare 3.You can also use it to stream Call of Duty Elite TV, access multiplayer guides, and track challenges. The iOS app is universal and compatible with all iDevices running iOS 5.0 or greater; however, the app does not have iPhone 5 screen support.
Blood Pact: Useful addons for raiding warlocks
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill does actually have 100some addon folder things in her Addon Control Panel profile. Laugh all you want; her UI is spacious and pretty to play on. I've been asked several times from either new warlocks or old warlocks who came back to the game about what addons are out there to help a PvE warlock. Recently, it's been through Twitter, which isn't exactly the best place to explain how to get the most out of your UI. Gear is one important preparation for raiding, and I've set you up with most of those considerations. Knowing your class and spec is another, and I promise, I'll get to that. But a good buff to your spellcasting techniques is a well-done user interface, so let's talk about that.
Modern Warfare 3 ad too violent for UK soccer time
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has placed restrictions on an ad for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, reports MCV. The ASA took exception to the copious gunfire, explosions and the depiction of "New York under military assault" – you know, Call of Duty stuff. The ad originally aired in November during an afternoon soccer match and, although Activision followed the advertising guidelines it had been given at the time, the ASA has decided that the commercial "could cause distress to some children who might see the ad." As such, the ad can no longer be show prior to 7:30pm.It's a shame, really. Activision needs all the help it can get spreading the word about Call of Duty.
Addon Spotlight Alternatives: Buffs and debuffs
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. Tracking buffs and debuffs is a time-honored tradition amongst raiders and non-raiders alike. We've been watching for poisons, debuffs, debilitating magic, and disables since the beginning of WoW. Being able to quickly react to your own debuffs, whether you're the Living Bomb or you have a snobold on your back, is what separates the best players from the rest. We will be exploring the traditional type of buff and debuff display this week on Addon Spotlight, shedding some light on some old favorites, addons that have passed on, and distant favorites making a resurgence. Buffs and debuffs have also held a crucial spot on my own interface for years, right above my own status bar. As a tank, debuff tracking has always been a priority.
