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EVE Evolved: Has the industry revamp worked?
When I was first introduced to EVE Online back in 2004, a big part of the attraction for me was the promise of a huge player-run economy in which the only real laws were those of supply and demand. With only a handful of tech 1 ships and modules available to build and everything made out of the same basic minerals, science and industry were pretty easy for new players to figure out. Over the years, more complexity has slowly been added to industry via features like Starbases, Salvaging, Capital Ships, Tech 2 Invention, Planetary Interaction and Tech 3 Reverse Engineering. Today's industrialists have to contend with hundreds of different items that are often arranged in sprawling component manufacturing chains, which can make it hard to figure out exactly how to make a profit. The recent industry revamp attempted to solve this problem with a full user interface overhaul and a revamp of material costs and manufacturing prices. All of the relevant information for using a blueprint was packed into a slick new combined Industry UI, allowing new players to find the info they're looking for in-game rather than through websites or opening dozens of item info windows. It's now been almost two months since the industry revamp went live, and while the market for many items is still going to take several months to fully stabilise, the dust has finally begun to settle. So what's the verdict? Has the industry revamp worked? In this edition of EVE Evolved, I consider whether the industry revamp has been successful, how easy it is to make a profit in the new system, and whether it's worth setting up your own industrial starbase.
Fujitsu intros RakuRaku accessible smartphone for the elderly
While there are a number of ways to make existing smartphones more accessible for the elderly, there are very few on the market designed specifically with them in mind. There's devices like the Jitterbug, but they're not particularly "smart." Fujitsu's latest entrant in its RakuRaku line, however, is loaded with friendly features and hardware designed specifically with the elderly in mind -- and it runs Android. When it lands in Japan this August it'll sport a customized UI with large text and oversized virtual buttons. Even the few physical buttons are large and easy to operate for those whose agility may be waning. The screen is even able to distinguish between accidental touches and purposeful taps. To see the device in action check out the video after the break.
Blindsquare uses Foursquare data to guide the visually impaired
Blindsquare is giving guidance systems for the visually disabled a new twist with user-generated Foursquare data, text-to-speech, GPS and some OpenStreetMap mojo. While users are out and about, the app narrates their trip via headphones with information about nearby places, intersections or guidance to their destination. One shake of the iPhone or iPad gives users their current location and a second shake checks them in on Foursquare. The app can also be controlled via a Bluetooth remote while the device sits in a pocket or backpack. After going from concept to completion in six months, it's now out of beta and available on the App Store for $14.99. Sonar gauntlets won't let you check-in to your haunts? Hit the source link to step up that location-based social networking.
The Firing Line: A look at World of Tanks
I'm not the biggest tank fan in the world. Don't get me wrong; I'm a red-blooded American male who loves engines, horsepower, and most types of heavy machinery, but for whatever reason, I've never looked at a tank and come away particularly aroused. Imagine the surprise, then, when I loaded up World of Tanks a couple of weeks ago and found myself having a jolly old time. Wargaming.net's free-to-play action title is a deceptively simple shooter with a lot of depth under the hood, and despite what some players refer to as pay-to-win shenanigans, I highly recommend it.
Arduino, iPod and RFID make beautiful, accessible music together (video)
There isn't actually much new about this awesome DIY project, but it's the way it brings the various parts together that has us impressed. Designed by Instructables user XenonJohn, with help from software developer David Findlay, the Magic Music Table RFID was designed to let a child with a disability select albums to play back from an iPod touch playlist. The iPod is connected to an Arduino, which tells the device to start playing a particular track based on a selection made with RFID cards. The whole setup is built into a coffee table and the RFID tags are sandwiched inside clear plastic blocks with the album art. You can see it in action in the video after the break and, if you've got the patience and skill, you can build your own using the directions at the source link.
Blizzard's Titan a 'casual' MMO
In case you were worried about a lack of new and accessible MMOs coming down the pike over the next couple of years, the king of casual is riding to the rescue. At least, that's what an analyst at Sterne Agee hinted at on Gamasutra recently. Arvind Bhatia is quoted on the game industry website as saying that Blizzard's product pipeline includes "expansion packs for StarCraft and World of Warcraft, a new Diablo game, [and] a new casual MMO." That casual MMO is of course Titan, the secretive WoW followup that has reportedly gobbled up Blizzard's most experienced designers. While no one outside of Blizzard has any inkling as to Titan's setting, mechanics, or target audience, Bhatia's prediction makes a certain amount of sense given the realities of the MMO marketplace and the costs inherent in developing and marketing AAA titles. Head to Gamasutra for the full report.
Torchlight's Schaefer: MMO subscriptions aren't the way to go
Runic Games CEO and Torchlight developer Max Schaefer knows a thing or two about addictive, loot-driven dungeon crawlers. After all, he was a founding member of Blizzard North and instrumental in the development of Diablo and Diablo II. So, when Schaefer talks about game design, people generally listen. Whether Schaefer's expertise extends to MMO business models is up for debate, though, which makes a recent interview at Charge-Shot.com an interesting read. "I don't think really anyone can do [subscriptions] anymore because pretty much everyone that does subscriptions has one for World of Warcraft," Schaefer posits, while speaking of his plans for the upcoming Torchlight MMO. While the majority of the interview focuses on the new Xbox Live incarnation of the original Torchlight -- as well as the forthcoming Torchlight II -- it's also a window into Schaefer's design sensibilities and therefore a possible barometer for the type of gameplay that fans might expect from a Torchlight MMO. "[Torchlight] is the kind of game you can play for 20 minutes before you got to go out to dinner, but it's also one that you can geek out on all night. It's just a very accessible format that gives people a chance to enjoy a game rather than work at a game," Schaefer explains. [Thanks to Craig for the tip!]
The Soapbox: Classism and the oxymoron of the casual MMO
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Seeing as how it's becoming something of a Massively tradition to offer rebuttals to my Soapbox articles, I figured it was time to turn the tables. A few weeks ago, our own Bree Royce penned a piece about class warfare in MMORPGs. Though it contained a number of valuable insights, I feel it struck the wrong chord when it comes to discussing the reasons "hardcore" MMO players dislike the pervasive trend towards accessibility. While the thrust of Bree's article dealt with classism and my response started out with a similar focus, this week's column has since morphed into more of a pseudo-rant on the casual vs. hardcore debate. Yes, the terms are malleable, and yes, this debate is eternal, but it's eternal because it matters (inasmuch as anything related to entertainment can matter). Join me after the cut for a traditionalist's take on MMOs and discover why they aren't "casual" games -- and why this has very little to do with social class.
Raiding has never been easier than in 3.0.2
Karazhan isn't exactly cutting edge content. It's had a few nerfs in its time. That being said, walking into Medivh's home-away-from-evil with a collection of random alts, sightseers, and new-to-raiders can sometimes prove interesting. And by interesting, I mean "repair bill" and "love of all that's Holy, just kill the dang flares!" Last night was one of those nights. My Guild has spent the last few weeks helping folks prepare for 25-man raiding in Wrath. The gear from Karazhan won't be applicable in the expansion, sure, but the skills and habits you learn now will help you be successful in the future. We had some particularly green folks with us, and while we knew the changes from 3.0.2 would make it easier, we weren't quite aware how easy. We were breezing along. Who doesn't breeze past Attumen, Maiden, and even Opera? When we hit Curator, we started to really feel the difference. The chap barely made it to his first Evocation. We skipped on past, slapped Aran around, and went up to Prince. Prince got down two infernals before dying. Confused, I checked the raid's gear. Had our all-in-greens Rogue somehow been replaced with a Warglaive-wielding maniac? Did the new specs really make that much difference? And then we recalled -- every raid mob in the Burning Crusade got nerfed. So, now, for the next few weeks, we have an odd nirvana in which to help folks learn to raid.
New Sprint service transcribes conversation to web in real time
Sprint is rolling out WebCapTel, an extension of its existing CapTel service that shows hard-of-hearing callers what the person on the other end is saying in real time -- but this time around, special equipment isn't needed. As its name implies, WebCapTel works through any web browser using any phone, turning the call into text quickly enough so that callers are able to respond naturally and with their own voice. Pretty darned cool; in fact, we think we're going to give it a try ourselves to see how it does. It's available now for calls within the US, and even better, it's free.
AT&T offering pricey apps for blind and low-vision customers
The largest carrier in the US (that's AT&T now, not Verizon, remember?) is offering a pair of applications from developer Code Factory to help out folks with limited vision in the use of their handsets. Of course, dialing numbers is one thing, and that all can probably be accomplished without the assistance of accessibility software in most cases -- but Code Factory aims to bring full smartphone functionality to the table with its Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier packages. The functions of both can pretty much deduced by their names, but the real story here might be the fact that they're being made available through AT&T for both Windows Mobile and S60-based devices; specifically, AT&T's Nokia N75 and E62, Cingular 3125, Samsung BlackJack, and Pantech Duo are currently supported. We're a little shocked at the pricing -- a stiff $89 per app -- but at least they're good enough to offer a 30 day trial.
Game Over!: An exercise in futility (by design)
Don't you hate it when a decent game is ruined by one horrible, overriding problem? How about a game with 21 of those problems?The FORTH Institute of Comupter Science designed Game Over! to be the world's first universally inaccessible game. Each level of the simple, reverse-Space-Invaders-clone is intentionally saddled with a major game design flaw -- touchy controls, horrible resolution, instructions in Swahili, etc. -- that makes it nearly unplayable. In doing so, the levels explicitly outline the importance of the institute's Universally Accessible Games guidelines.It's a strange concept, but the strangest thing about Game Over! is that it's actually kind of fun. With the deck stacked so ridiculously against you, the pressure to succeed turns off and the desire to just try to beat the system kicks in. There's something perversely addictive about wanting to keep playing a game just to get a positive score. Kind of like the perverse pleasure of watching the Star Wars prequels -- you know they'll be bad, but you have to keep watching to find out just how bad it can get.Previously: Making games universally accessible[Via GameSetWatch]
Cellphones enable PA system for the deaf
Typically, when we think of cellphones improving one's quality of life, we're speaking in terms of broadband data, big honkin' autofocus cams, and gobs of flash memory. Researchers in IBM's British facilities are looking at it a little differently, though, looking into how mobile devices might be used to help alert the deaf to PA announcements near their location -- something hearing folk take for granted in airport terminals, train stations, and sports venues, just to name a small few. Their LAMA system (Location Aware Messaging for Accessability) was originally designed with the hard of hearing in mind, but they're pointing out that it could come in handy for pretty much anyone: voice-based services to read signage to the blind, directions to various nearby places for the navigationally challenged, and so on. Better yet, the system may not be that far off, with European trials in train stations possibly coming before the year's out. No word on whether new handsets are required to take advantage of the system, but then again, we're always looking for an excuse to upgrade.[Via textually.org]
