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NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe will visit a second asteroid
NASA's OSIRIS-REx has been cleared to visit one more asteroid, and it's getting a name change at the same time.
Rumor: Leak suggests the next WoW expansion is nearly feature-complete
So, ready to jump on the rumor mill? Because it's churning out big stuff about Blizzard today. An anonymous source from inside the company has apparently claimed that World of Warcraft's next expansion has quadrupled its art outsourcing and is nearly feature-complete. The source also claimed that Hearthstone is doing banner business, with its next expansion set to release in April with a heavier PvE focus. Darker news was revealed for the other franchises under the company's banner. The next part of StarCraft II is done but with no release date. Overwatch is in the midst of debates over business model and payment plans, with the studio pushing for a 2015 release but most likely going for 2016. Meanwhile, Heroes of the Storm has low expectations among the upper management and the Diablo III team has been "completely gutted." It's up to you you believe the rumors, of course, although come April, they might look rather plausible.
Star Citizen pimps out the Drake Cutlass
Are you considering purchasing a new ship in Star Citizen? Do you anticipate yourself frequently dodging raider attacks while listening to up-tempo instrumental music? Are you generally fond of using car commercials to determine your purchases? If you answered in the affirmative for all of that, you might be well-served by checking out the new commercial for the Drake Cutlass embedded just past the break. The entire commercial is rendered in-game (except for one specific gesture), so it serves the dual purpose of showing off the ship and showing off the ships themselves. If you'd like, you can view the commercial in stereoscopic 3-D as well. And if you like what you see from the commercial, you can step into your own Cutlass starting at $115, although you can currently only explore the ship rather than actually using it for anything.
StarCraft Universe reaches its funding goal on Kickstarter
There are a lot of people who would very much like to see an MMO in the StarCraft universe. StarCraft Universe isn't quite the same thing, but it manages to turn StarCraft II into something very close to an MMO. And with just one day left to go on its Kickstarter project, it has hit its funding goal, ensuring that StarCraft II players can turn the real-time strategy game into a third-person MMO-style game at will. So how much does the mod actually contain? Eight classes, vehicle gameplay, customized models, a variety of boss encounters tuned for various difficulties, in-game strategy databases, a fully voiced plotline, and crafting mechanics. There are also single-player and multiplayer components for anyone who wants to experience the game solo, and the entire project can be experienced for free without a need to buy StarCraft II. If you're interested, there's still some time left to toss money into the Kickstarter and pick up a few extra rewards.
Star Citizen's ship insurance explained
If you've been wondering how ship insurance works in Star Citizen, the game's latest comm link update is for you. Cloud Imperium says that SC's insurance system will ensure that your ship will be replaced "and/or its modifications and cargo will be subsidized should you be destroyed in a fight or accident." The costs will be "a relatively small part of your regular in-game expenses" (think landing fees, trade tariffs, fuel costs, etc.). Insurance policy upgrades based on risk levels will also be available. Players who pledged to support Star Citizen prior to November 26th will have lifetime insurance on their pledge ships, though it's worth noting that the lifetime coverage does not extend to mods or cargo. There's much more to read about SC's insurance system, so head to the game's official website for that as well as an update on customer service and stretch goals.
SOE to bring back Station Cash subscription purchases -- for a week
We reported this morning that SOE had quietly removed the option to purchase non-recurring subscriptions in its MMOs with Station Cash. SOE President John Smedley arrived on the EverQuest II forums to apologize for how it was handled and assure players that this purchase option would return for a limited time so that last-minute partakers could take advantage of it: "I'm sorry we didn't do a good job of messaging this. It was handled while we were at E3 and that was bad. Very simply put, we pulled the non-recurring subscriptions because we want a closer look at the numbers and how our overall pricing of subscriptions is impacted by it. I don't want anyone thinking they were pulled because of double SC promotions or anything like that. "We're trying to figure out the right balance of things that make our customers feel great about our pricing and balance that against our customer base as a whole. We aren't saying they are going away for good. We're just looking carefully at the data right now and how we do this right. Please be patient while we figure this out. These non-recurring subscriptions are something we're still working through and we want to make sure we do this right. Obviously as a business we have to make sure the decisions we're making good for our players, and I assure you that's what we're trying to do. "I've asked the team to put them back up for a week to let people buy them with existing SC. I'm not sure when it will be back up. Maybe today or maybe Monday (a lot of our team went to E3)."
SOE removes option to purchase subs with Station Cash
In a stealth move, Sony Online Entertainment has quietly removed the ability to purchase non-recurring subscriptions from its MMOs' marketplaces. Players in both EverQuest and EverQuest II noticed the change while in the game and went to the forums for official confirmation. Previously, players were able to use Station Cash (SOE's universal game currency) to snap up single-month subscriptions. This allowed frugal players to acquire discounted subscriptions, as SOE occasionally has a sale on Station Cash and throws in-game deals for spending it. Community Manager Piestro confirmed the removal in a forum post: "Hey folks, just jumping in to let you know this was indeed an intentional change. This decision was partially based on the very limited utilization of this feature." This removal comes at a bad time for players who did purchase subs this way, as SOE is giving bonus Station Cash to players redeeming game cards this weekend. [Thanks to Don for the tip!]
Opening the Book(Book) on Twelve South: between the covers of a Mac-exclusive accessory maker
The year is 2009. In history books, it'll widely be recognized as the year that most of America -- heck, the world -- would prefer to forget. Job after job was lost, bank after bank fell, and humanity as we knew it plunged into "the worst recession since the Great Depression." It's also the year that Palm attempted a comeback with webOS, and as it turns out, the year that yet another accessory company was born. While such an occurrence may be forgettable on a macro scale, economic researchers and lovers of technology alike have reason to take notice -- and, indeed, ask questions. So, that's exactly what I did. Beyond growing a technology startup in a me-too field during the worst economy that I've personally been a part of, it's also not often that I find compelling consumer electronics companies far outside of New York City and San Francisco. Twelve South just so happens to be located in a nondescript nook in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina -- just a beautiful trip over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge from historic Charleston. Three years after its founding, the company now fittingly counts a dozen employees on its roster, and despite entering a market flooded with iAccessory after iAccessory, it has somehow managed to grab its own slice of an increasingly large niche. As with all good success stories, this particular outfit has plenty of twists, turns and run-ins with Lady Luck to tell about; for those interested in seeing how the "stay small" mantra is keeping Twelve South firmly focused on the future ahead, take a peek beyond the break.
StarCraft vs. Warcraft: What is the WoW community missing?
For the past year or so, I've been living a double life. To some, I am a skilled and tenacious night elf priestess, adventuring through Azeroth at the charge of the Holy Light, healing the injured and saving the incompetent. To others, however, I am but a lowly brood mother, commanding a swarming, parasitic army with occasional success against my enemies across the Koprulu sector. Don't follow me? Basically, I've just been playing a lot of StarCraft 2 whenever I'm not raiding. Still, being heavily invested in WoW and StarCraft has really felt like living two lives at times, especially when you consider how dramatically different they both are. And I'm not talking about the gameplay; obviously one would expect an MMORPG and an RTS to be incomparable. What I mean is that that the culture and community that surrounds these two games are distinctively different, despite the fact that the games share some of their playerbase with one another. You'd think that one game community would be pretty similar to the next, but they're not. The whole thing has left me with a lot of questions to turn over in my mind. Is it possible that the WoW and StarCraft communities could learn from the other? Seven years in, is it even possible for the WoW community to change in any significant way at this point? And if so, is there something missing in the WoW community? To explore the idea further, I started making a list of all the things I thought the StarCraft community had that the WoW community was lacking.
SOE offers triple Station Cash for one day only
Are you hanging onto a Sony Online Entertainment game card? Then today's the day you want to register that baby! SOE announced that for today and today only it is running one of its rare Triple Station Cash days -- but the offer ends at 3:00 a.m. EST tomorrow morning. Triple Station Cash works much like you'd imagine: Any game card redeemed or Station Cash purchased will register as three times that amount. So that 1000 Station Cash code you've got lying around is now worth 3000 points. Station Cash is SOE's multi-game currency that's used to purchase premium benefits, in-game items, and game time. This promotion is part of SOE's "12 Days of Holidays," in which the company is offering a different promotion or activity every day through Christmas Eve.
Ask Massively: It's my birthday and I'll devote a column title to it if I want to edition
Yes, 28 years ago, something very special (to me, anyway) happened. That means that while I'm going to spend the day on my usual cocktail of whatever the heck I do, I get the opportunity to make Ask Massively's opening even more of a non sequitor than it normally is. Here, have a screenshot from one of the worst-animated episodes in all of the original Transformers cartoon. I swear that looks bad even in a still frame. It was either this shot or the one of Blaster and Ultra Magnus getting married. (That's what it looks like, anyway.) Now that I've gotten that out of my system for another 10 minutes or so, we can move on to this week's column, which is sadly devoid of giant robots. It does have questions about DC Universe Online and the sad story of World of Starcraft's rise and subsequent fall, so I still get to indulge in things that I like. And birthday or not, questions can be left in the comment field or mailed along to ask@massively.com.
StarCraft II turned into World of StarCraft by enterprising fan
World of StarCraft is, by all indications, high on the list of desirable games that have never been announced or even hinted at. It's certainly a universe ripe for development, and it's not as if Blizzard doesn't know anything about running an MMO. But why wait for an official release when you can put the game together yourself? That's what's behind the rather intuitively named project making the rounds today -- an effort to use the powerful map editor in StarCraft II to create a full MMO within the existing game's framework. While development is still in the very early stages, and of course the project is wholly unofficial, it's a fascinating use of player-edited gameplay as well as a display of just how much people want to play in the world as an MMO. Take a look at the trailer past the cut to see the surprising amount of work that's been done on converting the RTS into a more familiar genre -- although bear in mind that the official forums have been getting rather hammered before you go nuts.
Interview: Dustin Browder talks StarCraft 2 development and delays
Dustin Browder is the man in the hot seat as Blizzard's lead designer for StarCraft 2. Ultimately, he's the one you can heap the blame (or the praise) upon when the final product finally ships. At the time of this interview, we didn't officially know SC2 would be delayed, but given the sheer amount of things they'd shown us during our visit, it became clear that there was no way StarCraft 2 would make 2009. Still, Browder talks about the reasons for the delay, and ultimately gamers are going to be happy that they chose to make the game better, rather than rush it out for the holiday shopping frenzy. Read on for the full interview with him where we talk delays, easter eggs, the new matchmaking system, the single player experience, and hidden items in the game, including a fully playable Lost Viking arcade game with a data editor that will let you make your own scrolling shooters.%Gallery-69481%
AT&T strings U-verse TV to Columbia, South Carolina
Awake, Gamecock Nation! We know you're already packing up the tailgating gear to head for the Outback Bowl, but you've an important decision to make beforehand. Along with Birmingham and Nashville, the great city of Columbia, South Carolina will also get its first taste of U-verse TV this week. Starting today, select parts of the city will be able to order up the outfit's fiber-based programming service, though no details about which areas were given. You know what that means -- time to make a phone call whilst crossing your fingers.
Comcast adding new HD channels in Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina is the latest locale on the mind of Comcast, as subscribers in the area are about to receive a few new channels on the EPG. Reportedly, FOX News HD, Disney Channel HD, Science HD, SPEED HD, FX HD, Versus HD and AMC HD have already popped up for some folks, though the go-live date isn't scheduled until November 1st. We know, it's only a handful, but it's better than suffering through next week with the same 'ole lineup, isn't it?[Thanks, Gus and Carlton]
TWC gets official with HD expansion in the Carolinas
Hot on the heels of TWC's Greensboro expansion announcement comes some official word from the carrier itself on how it'll be handling new HD rollouts in the Carolinas at large. For starters, many Raleigh-area customers received an e-mail proclaiming that 20 new high-def stations would be coming soon, though it mistakenly claims ESPN2 HD as a newcomer. At any rate, the director of digital communication at Time Warner Cable chimed in to clear things up, noting that the company is "rolling out up to 20 HD channels over the next several months, depending on the division." From the looks of things, Raleigh and Charlotte will be getting just about everything TWC has, while Greensboro, NC and Columbia, SC will receive smaller allotments. Curiously enough, the Wilmington area wasn't mentioned at all, but here's hoping they'll be on the same wave as Raleigh. For the full report from Jeff Simmermon, jump on past the break. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
Charter brings Food Network HD and HGTV HD in Western Carolinas
Charter just gifted Asheville, NC with five new HD channels in July, but considering how bleak the HD lineup was there, these two couldn't have arrived soon enough. As of this week, Food Network HD and HGTV HD have been added on slots 756 and 757 (respectively) in the Asheville, NC and Greenville-Spartanburg, SC systems. Trust us, the carrier is still struggling over there, so we'll totally understand if you customers in the area start bickering for more in a week or so.[Thanks, PopWeaverHDTV]
DirecTV not done yet, brings HD locals to Norfolk-Newport News, VA / Charleston, SC
Just when you thought DirecTV was through after announcing HD locals for two more of its market today, in comes a couple of new reports confirming that both the Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina DMAs were gifted as well. For the former, customers can look forward to seeing their local ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS affiliates in high-def, while the latter region gets all of those plus WMMP (MyNetworkTV). Any others you'd like to toss our way while you're at it? We've got a list of HD-starved DMAs just begging over here.Read - Norfolk-Newport News, VA rolloutRead - Charleston, SC rollout
Western North Carolina's WLOS takes local news to high-def
The Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson DMA just netted itself another local station with HD news: WLOS (ABC). Starting this week, the station -- which serves the western parts of both North and South Carolina -- will be broadcasting from its new set and studio, which features a "rotating desk with two different back drops, more than two dozen HD monitors, new HD studio cameras, HD graphics, and the advanced HD 'Sky Watch' Weather Center." The station is just about a year late on being numero uno in the market, as rival WSPA-TV (the local CBS affiliate) took its local news HD in September of last year. Nothing wrong with choices, though.[Thanks, PopWeaverHDTV]
Charleston, South Carolina's WCSC-TV bringing HD news on 9/29
Hey, Charleston -- ready for some HD news? We sure hope so, as local CBS affiliate WCSC-TV is making the fateful switch on September 29th. According to the South Carolina station, viewers will see a "huge change" in how things look, and aside from that, it's pretty proud of being the first local broadcaster in the state to air its news "completely in high-definition." Kudos, Charleston, so who's next?[Thanks, Mike]
