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0x10c may charge monthly subscription for ship ownership
In a recent interview, Mojang's Markus "Notch" Persson says he's thinking more and more that 0x10c, the Minecraft mogul's space-based PC title, may use a subscription-based monetization plan when it's ready to be sold. The idea's not cemented just yet, but Notch expects to have a multiplayer mode with the game called "the multiverse," and there will likely be cost associated with keeping all of the virtual ships running on a real server.Each ship will require a "generator" to keep it running, so Notch's current idea is that "one subscription gives you one generator." Presumably, he says, multiple players could run around inside one ship, so you may pay a subscription and then invite your friends to join you on your vessel. But someone will have to pay to keep the game going.Notch also talks a bit about how construction will work in the game: Players will likely build a ship's external features first, and then organize various components inside for different layouts or more options. And Notch says there will be "mining," in that players will have to find resources in the galaxy to use as parts, but he says it definitely won't be Minecraft-style. As Notch told us at PAX, work is definitely well underway, and we should see more very soon.
PlanetSide 2's Vanu Sovereignty gets a new batch of screenshots
PlanetSide 2's Terran Republic and New Conglomerate have both had their time in the spotlight, but now we get to hear from the faction that everyone actually cares about: the technologically superior Vanu Sovereignty. PC Gamer has some new, incredibly purple screens showing the Vanu in action. Marvel at the hovertanks! Stand in awe of Vanu Sovereignty airships! Prepare to be pew-pewed in the face by an awesome laser pistol! After all, it takes a real man to wear purple. Or something like that, anyway. Just click on over to PC Gamer for all the new screens.
New hack-and-slash MMO Core Blaze discusses boss fights, platforming details
What is Core Blaze? Well, to be honest with you, we weren't entirely sure either. But from the looks of things, it's an upcoming Unreal-Engine-3-powered action MMO from Gamania and RedGate Studios. "Big deal," you might say. "There's a ton of action MMOs out there already," you might also say. So what separates Core Blaze from the chaff? RedGate Studios' chief operating officer Jacky Chu sat down with PC Gamer to try to answer that very question, and then some. Chu claims that the key factor that will separate Core Blaze from other hack-and-slash MMO titles is its cerebral nature. He emphasizes that the game is "much more than a mindless adrenaline rush." Boss monsters are designed like "a puzzle that can be solved in multiple ways," requiring players to work together to develop and execute a strategy rather than running in sword-swinging and spell-slinging until one side isn't standing. Chu puts emphasis on the fact that players should have ultimate freedom rather than being restricted into one optimal build, one optimal equipment set, one way to kill a boss, or one way to traverse a level. Players looking for an action-based MMO with a great degree of personal choice should likely keep their eyes set on Core Blaze, though no North American release date has been announced. For the full interview, head on over to PC Gamer.
Penny Arcade Adventures game gets new trailer
The guys from Penny Arcade are truly testing the bounds of the term "meta" by featuring 3D representations of the 2D counterparts of their very 3D selves in their forthcoming game. They've also broken Joystiq's Acronymizer 3000 with its title: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One. The brand-new trailer for the game (offered first to PC Gamer readers) appears above.We get some nice looks at the game's combat and character creation system, as well as at some of the slick 2D animation (the meta thickens!). We know that this is their first crack at a game of their own, but we're definitely laying down what they're picking up, as the kids say. Want more? You can find some PC Gamer covers featuring characters from the game on the PA site today.
Bethesda mum about Oblivion expansion
Call it a formality, but Bethesda refuses to confirm Shivering Isles, Oblivion's first full-length expansion. But the forthcoming content is no myth. After all, Bethesda supplied the details for the scoops that were bought and published by PCZone and PC Gamer, two UK mags. In fact, another Shivering Isles feature will appear in the March issue of Games for Windows (due Feb. 6 on newsstands).This is just the business of embargoes, folks. Once Games for Windows has had its window of opportunity to sell the "exclusive" content, Bethesda will open right up.
Rumor: Gears of War PC-bound?
The upcoming issue of PC Gamer has an interesting concept design for a Games for Windows display that clearly shows multiple Gears of War PC boxes (page 28 of their Holiday Issue). Is this a nudge and a wink of what's to come? Given the similarity of design architecture between Xbox 360 and Windows gaming, it's a no-brainer that Microsoft would seek to put its successful gunslinger Gears of War on every platform it has available. It would be a good moneymaker and (if Halo 2 is any indication) another incentive for gamers to upgrade to Windows Vista. However, IGN has been told by Microsoft that there no plans to announce a Gears of War PC version in the near future.
PC Gamer lures PS3 buyer with $7500 gaming rig
What would it take for you to give up your shot at a PS3? I don't just mean your shot at getting a system on launch day... I mean giving up your right to ever own Sony's newest system? For one gamer waiting outside the Sony Metreon in San Francisco, the price of loyalty was a $7,500 PC gaming rig.In an effort to "prove that the PC is, and always shall be, the finest gaming platform available to man," PC Gamer and computer maker Falcon Northwest teamed up to lure away prospective PS3 purchasers with a top-of-the-line PC complete with 30" LCD monitor and Nvidia 8800 GTX graphics card. The catch? To get the system, you have to sign a notarized, legally-binding contract certifying that you will never, ever, buy a PS3.Judging by the photo gallery of the night's events, PC Gamer editor Greg Vederman had no trouble finding willing participants for the offer, but a gamer identified only as "Neal" was the randomly-chosen winner. Vederman said he will be checking in on Neal "several times a year to make sure he keeps his end of the deal," an arrangement we're sure will lead to frantic "quick, hide the PS3" escapades when the PC Gamer van approaches.[Thanks Norman]
Battlefield 2142 scans of PC Gamer cover story leaked
The Battlefield 2142 hoopla is starting to look more and more real as scans of the PC Gamer issue in question have surfaced online with BF 2142 featured as the magazine's May cover story. Digg contributor Iced_Eagle has pointed us to an 8.5MB archive of images from the mag, with 9 pages concerned with 2142 and 2 pages having to do with Half-Life 2: Episode 1. If you're interested in knowing "where your unstoppable 20-foot Mech is," then you'd best get to that reading online or off ASAP. For those still skeptical of any gaming news outlet coming out with such a story in the general vicinity of April Fools' Day, keep in mind that the game appears to not only be the magazine's cover story, but that its coverage also fills up all those pages of print mentioned earlier. EGM merely dedicated a single page with a brief line in the table of contents to its Apple iGame prank this year, so this would seem like a lot of effort on PC Gamer or some extremely dedicated Photoshopper's part to fool the gaming public. Will this fall prove to be the point when the BF franchise finally frags in the future? At this point, it would certainly seem so. Read on for further details about the game; the cover pic links to the scans.
Battlefield 2142 allegedly confirmed by PC Gamer [Update1]
According to digg, this video trailer from the May 2006 issue of PC Gamer confirms the existence of Battlefield 2142 and its pending release this fall.Feel free to watch those warring mechs, but we'll hold off judgment until we hear the official word from EA/DICE. Do you believe a future ice age will precipitate a global war over arable land? You've been warned.[Update: Scans of the mag have surfaced online. Thanks, Iced_Eagle!]See also: Battlefield 2142 hinted at by Digital Illusions producer EA gobbles up the rest of Battlefield developer DICE [Thanks, Shaved Moose and Einhanderkiller; via digg]
East meets West: PC Gamer's trip to Korea
Jim Rossignol, from UK magazine PC Gamer, took a trip to South Korea last year and this account of the gaming culture there takes a look at everything from Starcraft superstars to gaming television and MMO addicts. A culture that revolves primarily around PC gaming, playing games is a very social activity in Korea, and high-profile gamers become celebrities with huge fan clubs. It's not without its problems, though: with many poor quality games, strict censorship and licencing problems, gamers don't have as much freedom to choose as they might like. It's very different to how we work in the West, although some aspects of our culture are converging. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in a gamer's utopia, where everyone understands your passion, the answer's quite simple: move to Korea.
