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QuakeCon 2014 first-round registration opens March 5
Bethesda announced that it will begin selling QuakeCon 2014 passes next week, revealing a number of premium packages for early-bird buyers looking to secure event access and bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) seating. On March 5, attendees can purchase a $175 QuakeCon 2014 bundle that includes reserved-access seating for all panels, events, and presentations, along with a bonus t-shirt, lanyard, and signed print. A $150 package that includes two t-shirts, a headset, and other goodies goes on sale March 19. Additional premium packages will be available for purchase on April 2 and April 16. All packages are limited in quantity but optional, as general admission is free. QuakeCon 2014 will take place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, between July 17 and July 20. [Image: Bethesda]
Quakecon 2014 nails in July dates, Carmack offers to give talk
Quakecon, North America's LAN party extraordinaire, is taking place a couple of weeks earlier than usual in 2014. Organizers announced the Bring-Your-Own-Computer event will be held from July 17 to July 20 at the regular venue of the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. It'll be the first Quakecon since John Carmack left id Software, the company he co-founded, to work full-time at Oculus VR. That doesn't mean Carmack's traditional keynote address is a write-off, as the veteran programmer tweeted he's offered to give the talk - it's now up to organizers to accept his offer. Carmack or no, because the event's happening a wee bit earlier there's no time to dawdle over booking a hotel room - a $160 per night special rate is available now. Admission to the event itself remains free.
Families who game together stay together
My dad enjoys hunting, fishing and fighting fires. I enjoy reading, philosophy and not exerting myself too much. But while we might not have a ton in common, we do play a lot of games together. Military shooters, mostly, as he gets easily bored by many of the slower moving, story heavy games I tend to play alone. I was never going to follow in his footsteps at the fire department, and he was never going to read Kant with me. So instead, we've bonded on virtual battlefields. That's not something unique to my family. Like my own father, Steven struggles to find things in common with his children. One of his daughters is a dancer. The other is in band. But as the girls have gotten older, playing video games has brought the family closer together. "I've been an avid gamer since I was in college, and my daughters just started picking it up," he told me. "About six or seven years ago I got my oldest daughter a computer, and she and I started playing games with each other and against each other, and it just kind of progressed from there."
Tamriel Infinium: Why I will play Elder Scrolls Online
With all the new kinds of MMOs hitting the market, and with the splintering directions that MMO communities seem to take, I wanted to take a cathartic moment and really explore the reasons why I want to play the Elder Scrolls Online. The MMORPG market is growing astronomically. If we look at the games that are already out there, we see a wide variety of thematic differences between MMO games. The mechanics and the target audiences are vastly different from what they were even a few years ago. When I started playing MMOs, the number of existing MMOs could be counted on one hand, but now the number of MMOs being released in a year dwarfs that number. Why would I chose to play ESO when there are so many other choices out there?
Tamriel Infinium: Audience expectations, Elder Scrolls Online, and EverQuest Next
Last week was a huge week for MMO fans. We were expecting some cool news from Sony Online Entertainment about EverQuest Next from SOE Live. Despite not being a huge EQ follower, I was enormously interested in what SOE (one of my personal favorite game developers and publishers) planned on doing with its staple franchise. Then Bethesda announced that for the first time ever the ZeniMax team would show in-game footage of the Elder Scrolls Online on Twitch TV. Specifically, players wanted to see the first-person view not seen at previous conventions. ZeniMax delivered, and the crowd went wild. I believe both presentations were wonderful, and I would be lying if I said that both presentations didn't pique my interest. I would also be lying if I said that I had no concerns about how each of the games will be received. I talked about it with my guild, Nefarious Intent. We have some hardcore Elder Scrolls fans and some MMOers who have been playing EQ games since the '90s. During the course of the debate, we came to the conclusion that the audience of each game expects something completely different and that pitting these two titles together is completely unfair. So of course that's why I have to do just that in today's column. Why are there different expectations between ESO and EQN? How is it going to be completely possible for both games to be highly successful?
Dishonored 66% off in final day of Quakecon Steam sale
Sunday is the final day of the Quakecon Steam sale, and it's going out with a quiet, stealthy bang – Dishonored is 66 percent off ($10.20) through August 5 at 10AM PT. Also 66 percent off are the three Dishonored DLC packs, Dunwall City Trials ($1.70), The Knife of Dunwall ($3.40) and Void Walker's Arsenal ($1.35). Still on offer today is the Quakecon Pack, which includes 45 id Software and Bethesda games for $90, normally priced at $344. The Quakecon Pack features Dishonored and its DLC, Doom 3 and all of its variants, Fallout 3 and New Vegas, the Elder Scrolls series, Rage, Wolfenstein 3D and the Quake games. Each game is available at an individually discounted price as well. During Quakecon this week, we got a peek at John Carmack's explanation of ambient occlusion and learned that the Rage franchise isn't dead quite yet.
John Carmack says Armadillo Aerospace is in 'hibernation' following setbacks
Armadillo Aerospace was once at the forefront of efforts to foster private spaceflight, but it has been quiet ever since its STIG-B rocket crashed in January. We're now learning why: founder John Carmack has revealed that the company is now in "hibernation." The transition from contract work to vehicle building just didn't pan out, he says. Having more full-time staff backfired, as workers were bogged down in planning and reviews; the team also repeated many of NASA's mistakes in material choices, limiting its production capacity. As Carmack isn't prepared to invest more of his personal funds to keep Armadillo going, the firm will likely remain on ice until there's a new investor who's ready to pay to keep up with Branson and Musk in the space race. [Image credit: Official GDC, Flickr]
The Elder Scrolls Online's gameplay at QuakeCon [Updated]
QuakeCon, hailed as the largest LAN party in North America, kicked off yesterday, and since MMO fans have been clamoring for some uninterrupted Elder Scrolls Online gameplay, ZeniMax chose QuakeCon as the venue to show off its latest addition to the Elder Scrolls franchise. Starting right now (at 1:30 p.m. EDT), Creative Director Paul Sage and other lead designers are livestreaming direct from Dallas, Texas. Our intrepid reporters are watching along, providing a periodic liveblog in this post as well as frequent chatter in our comments. Watch the stream and join the conversation right now! [Update: The stream is over now, but we've collected the important bits beyond the cut, and Larry's liveblog in the comments is still viewable!]
Pre-registration for QuakeCon 2013 open now
Pre-registration for QuakeCon 2013 is now open and being offered alongside a few special packages. General admission is free, but extras are available at additional cost.The Swag Pack, of which there are 250 available, costs $60. It includes three different shirts (including an officially branded QuakeCon tee), a QuakeCon-branded Logitech G400 Mouse, and a $10 voucher for use on Bethesda's site.The Swag Pack is available in conjunction with a "Bring Your Own Computer" Select-a-Seat, which nets you a reserved spot in the special BYOC section for $90, with only 500 available. You can also get a BYOC seat along with just a "QuakeCon done Quick" pass, which will grant you express lane access to all of the show's panels and events. That package with a single shirt is available for $50, and 250 are available in total.Finally, if it's just a BYOC reservation and shirt you want, you'll pay $30 for one of 1,250 packages available.All package options and prices are listed in full over on the official website. QuakeCon 2013 will be held at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, from August 1 until August 4.
QuakeCon 2013 scheduled for Aug. 1-4 in Dallas
QuakeCon, the annual celebration of LAN gaming, will be held August 1-4 at the The Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Special rates for the hotel and overnight parking are available now, so don't dawdle.The four day festival, now in its 18th year, is North America's largest Bring-Your-Own-Computer LAN party. There's also presentations and panels from Bethesda Softworks and id Software about what the companies are up to. The event is open and free to the public but, again, don't take too much time on grabbing a hotel room if you're planning to attend.
Steam featuring QuakeCon-inspired bundle, Rage $10 today
To celebrate the festivities of QuakeCon 2012, Valve is slashing prices on select games from id's stable until August 6. Today's deal is Rage at 50% off – down to $9.99.Aside from the daily deals, Steam is also selling a special $100 QuakeCon bundle that includes pretty much everything in Bethesda and id Software's current library. Pre-purchasing Dishonored on Steam will net users an additional discount on the bundle, which features over thirty games, DLC for included titles, and a few special QuakeCon-inspired Team Fortress 2 items.
id taking a break from mobile to work on Doom 4
QuakeCon is happening in Texas this weekend, and id software head John Carmack has been giving interviews to the press on hand. He told The Verge that id software has decided to step away from mobile development long enough to focus on the forthcoming Doom 4. "We did make the decision to close up our mobile development," says Carmack, "which saddens me a lot ... I hope we get back to mobile in various ways in the future, but the big real aim is blockbuster, AAA titles, and for id that means Doom 4, it means that we get the whole company behind that after we get Doom 3: BFG Edition out the door, essentially everybody will be focused on Doom 4 as a project." In the past, id has had some solid success on the App Store, both with ports of old id games, as well as versions of newer games like Rage. But it looks like for the moment, id is done with putting out new releases on the App Store. I wouldn't worry too much about this. Clearly, Carmack knows and loves Apple's mobile platforms, and its a common practice in big studios to focus the team on a sigle project, especially when its as big as Doom 4. For now, the team may be focusing in on an AAA title, but I don't think it'll be long at all before we see some more mobile work coming out of id and its developers. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
id Software closed mobile department to focus on projects like Doom 4
John Carmack didn't actually show Doom 4 during his QuakeCon keynote yesterday, but he did offer a status update – along with the tautological pronouncement that the shooter will be "done when it's done.""When it's done" will be a little sooner, as Carmack revealed just how devoted id Software is to its development. The mobile games division, responsible for Wolfenstein RPG, Rage HD and other mobile games, has been shut down, to shift focus to big games, including Doom 4. In fact, following Doom 3 BFG, all of id will focus on Doom 4.
Preorder Dishonored during QuakeCon, get Arx Fatalis for free
Dishonored is being shown off this weekend at QuakeCon 2012, and if you can't make it down to Texas, here's the next best thing: Load up the gallery below, and flick through the pictures really quickly. All right, that won't work, but at least you'll get to see some brand-new (and creepy) screens from the much-anticipated game.QuakeCon's also brought a pre-order bonus for Arkane Studios' latest - if you pre-purchase the game on Steam between now and the end of QuakeCon on August 5, you'll get access to Arkane's previous first-person RPG, Arx Fatalis, for no extra charge. Just take your time with that one: Dishonored won't be out until October 8.%Gallery-161677%
QuakeCon 2012 schedule has panels full of Valve, Bethesda, id
QuakeCon 2012 begins Thursday, August 2, with a keynote address from id Software co-founder John Carmack – and then the con gets real. Literally, it will be a real convention with a few interesting panels and people, as announced in the final lineup today.Friday begins with "The Making of Games," featuring Bethesda's Todd Howard and Insomniac's Ted Price. Then comes "Capture the Fan: Making Multiplayer Games That Last" with Chet Faliszek from Valve, Marty Stratton from id Software and Max Hoberman with Certain Affinity. "Looking Back at Looking Glass," and "Talking Shop: Skyrim, Modding and Steam" have Valve and Bethesda representatives, and "Virtual Insanity" closes out the night with Carmack.Saturday has "GameTrailers' Bonus Round" with Michael Pachter and others; "Celebrating id Modding" with Blendo Games, id Software and Double Fine; and the Idle Thumbs Podcast with Double Fine, Telltale Games, Bethesda and The Fullbright Company.Doors are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Check out the full schedule below.
QuakeCon 2012 to have playable Dishonored, Doom 3 BFG Edition
QuakeCon 2012 kicks off August 2 in Dallas, Texas, and details about its sweet gaming offerings are coming in. First, the Quake Live tournament will see professional and amateur players compete for a share of $30,000 in the Duel Invitational Masters Championship, Capture the Flag Open, Duel Open and Free For All, the last of which will be available to attendees at the Quake Live Free Play booth.Registration for the Quake Live tournament is open now through July 31 on the Quakecon site.The annual keynote address will be handled by id Software co-founder John Carmack. The full panel lineup is set to be announced in a few days, but it will include "Marty Stratton from id Software; Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games; Chet Faliszek and Tom Leonard from Valve Software; and Geoff Keighley, host of Spike's GameTrailers."Minecraft EDU and PVP will also have a presence at QuakeCon. At Bethesda's own booth, QuakeCon attendees can get their hands on both Dishonored and Doom 3 BFG Edition.
QuakeCon 2012 pre-registration opens Wednesday, bonuses announced
Pre-registration for QuakeCon 2012 begins this Wednesday, April 25, with goodies for the early angry birds. General admission is still free, but those looking to lock a seat to bring their own computer or get a "fast pass" for the four-day event will want to plunk down a bit of dough.The three pre-order packages include: the "Swag Pack," which includes the official QuakeCon 2012 shirt (pictured), a Dishonored Tallboy T-shirt and a limited edition poster for $40; the "BYOC Select-a-Seat" is $30, with a limit of 1,500 packages, and includes the QuakeCon 2012 shirt and the ability to select and reserve a seat in the "bring your own computer" (BYOC) room.Finally, "QuakeCon done Quick" is $50, includes the "BYOC Select-a-Seat" package, along with a "fast pass" for BYOC registration and access to every speaker, panel and public event at the show. There is a limit of 350 packages available.QuakeCon 2012 will take place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, from August 2 – 5.
Quakecon 2012 shakes up Dallas August 2-5
Grab your LEDs, fans, and whatever else you need to get your gaming rig ready to show off -- you only have until August 2! That's when QuakeCon will once again take over the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, with North America's largest LAN party. This year, expect it to be North America's densest concentration of irritating Skyrim jokes as well.Those of us not taking part will be able to look forward to keynotes and other presentations, along with news and media relating to whatever is happening at iD Software -- which means Doom 4, as far as we know.
QuakeCon registration opens at 8 p.m. ET tonight
If you're positively jonesing to try out some of Bethesda Softworks' upcoming titles before the hoi polloi get their filthy hands on them, you'll want to stick around your computer at 8 p.m. ET tonight. That's when registration for QuakeCon 2011 opens up, letting people ensure their place at the PC gaming-centric event which will be held August 4 through August 7 at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas. Basic registration will be free, though three premium tiers of tickets will be available in limited quantities for the diehards. These include a $20 "Select-a-Seat" package, which gets you quickly into the BYOC arena, and the $35 "Swag Pack," which gets you some free merch. There's also the $50 "QuakeCon Done Quick" package, which includes both speedy entry into panels and a metric ton of merch. Check out more details about these super ritzy premium packages after the break.
QuakeCon 2011 taking place August 4-7
If you've been eager to show off your rocket-launching prowess to members of the public, you'll be delighted to hear that a large group of them will gather at QuakeCon 2011 from August 4 until August 7 (yes, in 2011). Joining the annual and famously festive fragfest -- running on what event organizers have dubbed a "world-class network" -- requires only that you register, and then take your computer to the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas. The event is open to eveyone and attendance is free. If you're particularly keen on lugging around a monstrous rig (or your Pentium III 800MHz with 128MB RAM, for that matter), you'll also have the opportunity to see and play upcoming games from Bethesda Softworks -- the publishing label of Zenimax, which acquired id Software in 2009. This year's QuakeCon will conclude just over a month before the North American debut of post-apocalyptic FPS Rage, currently set to be released on September 13.
