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The Daily Grind: Which devs would you like to see in the MMO space?
We've seen a number of big-name game gurus make headlines in recent months with various MMOish development projects. Whether we're talking Chris Roberts, Mark Jacobs, or Richard Garriott, there's plenty of star power on display in both the MMO and crowdfunding arenas these days. Are there any other well-known devs you'd like see turning (or returning) to the MMO ranks? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Think Tank: Does studio drama affect your opinion of a game?
Drama is a human condition that plagues some more than others, but it's generally unavoidable. When drama comes from a game developer, we, as players, usually respond with our own drama in the form of forum posts containing lots of all-caps. Whether it's an out-of-context interview faux pas or whatever the War Z devs are up to this week, studio drama makes the news. Some of us love it; some of us hate it. But our reaction to developers behaving badly is what we're most interested in exploring today. I asked the Massively crewmembers how they react to drama from their favorite developers. Does it affect their purchase of the game? How far is too far? Or do we need to keep studio views and the game itself separate?
RIM pledges ongoing support for BlackBerry devs by serenading them (video)
They're gonna keep on lovin' yoooouuuu.
MasterCard announces PayPass User Interface SDK, lets devs roll their own NFC payment-enabled apps
MasterCard has been in the cashless payment game for quite a while, and now it's hoping to get more developers on the PayPass bandwagon with its freshly unveiled user interface software development kit. By leveraging the SDK, programmers will be able to bake the firm's NFC payment system, which is compatible with over 70 handsets, into their own Android or BlackBerry OS 7 apps. The kit is free to license and includes API code libraries, documentation, a developer guide, sample code, a white-label reference application and a testing suite. Once apps are created with the SDK, they'll have to go through MasterCard's approval process before they go live. Yearning to code PayPass-enabled smartphone software? Check out the press release below for more details.
Droid RAZR M and HD dev editions bring unlockable bootloaders to the Android party
Motorola just released three new consumer phones today, but the company didn't want to leave developers out in the cold, so it also quietly rolled out a pair of developer handsets. A mere $550 gets you on the list right now for a RAZR M Developer Edition set to be shipped next week direct from Moto, and you can sign up for updates on the availability of a forthcoming RAZR HD dev-friendly handset, too. Each phone will bring an unlockable bootloader and the promise of immediate software gratification, though Motorola hasn't set an availability date or price for the HD version just yet. You can get on the list for either device at the source links below.
$49 Cubieboard for developers is heavy on specs, light on the wallet
You've already got plenty of options if you're in the market for a developer board, but it might be worth taking a look at the new $49 Cubieboard, which packs quite the specs given its price point. The board hosts a 1GHz AllWinner A10 Cortex A8 CPU with Mali-400 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 4 gigs of onboard storage. For ins and outs, you're looking at 1080p HDMI, Ethernet, one MultiMediaCard (MMC) slot, a SATA port, two USB hosts, an IR sensor and 96 extender pins for solder junkies. Cubieboard's Wiki page lists an additional MMC slot and USB OTG, but as this doesn't check out in the pictures, we assume they've either been scrapped, or they'll be added on for later production runs. As you would expect, several versions of Linux and Android are supported by the Raspberry Pi bully, which is expected to start shipping to select developers sometime this week. There's no word on when it may be available for general consumption, but by then you'll hopefully have a better product anyway -- if the pros have done their job, that is.
Gamescom Raid Q&A with the Devs: Nerfs, the raid finder and more
You may have spotted Monday's post on how to design a raid, which was the first half of the Gamescom 2012 Raids and Dungeons round table with Ion Hazzikostas and John Lagrave. The second half of the Round Table was a Q&A session in which many interesting questions were asked, shedding light on some hot issues as well as simply providing a little more insight into the Blizzard Encounter Design Team's creative processes. Again, these aren't verbatim quotations from Ion and John, as I simply can't write that fast, but the overall statements are accurate representations of their responses. Are there any encounters Blizzard have had to alter or leave out due to technical constraints? There was a boss leading up to the Lich King who you had to heal (Valithria Dreamwalker), and that was a huge challenge for their existing technology. If you think about it, Ion explained, up to that point, every healing spell in the game was designed to be cast on a friendly target, that is to say, a player. So the devs were faced with the task of reworking every healing spell in the game. They didn't want players to only be able to use certain spells on her, as that would have been bad, so they redid every healing spell. The technical team changed the game's design so that the boss basically became a raid team member. Ion and John explained that it's all about working out creative ways to implement the designers' ideas.
TVSync API unveiled, helps devs build second-screen and smart TV apps
Second screen apps seem to be all the rage as of late, and Vobile's freshly announced TVSync API platform can help developers ride that wave of popularity. Compatible with iOS and Android devices, PCs and some smart TVs, the API can be leveraged to supplement what's on the silver screen with relevant content ranging from polls to products. Apps developed with the interface can trigger what's displayed on the companion screen at just the right moment by analyzing audio, video, or both. For instance, a recipe featured on a celebrity chef's program could be pushed to your slate as soon as it's first mentioned. Yearning to code an app of your own with the tech? Visit the source to request beta access to TVSync or look below for the full press release.
Horn gets a trailer, coming later this month
We already knew that the developers behind the iOS horror game Dark Meadow were working on a new title called Horn, but now here's a trailer to watch. As you can tell, it looks pretty darn good. It's not quite as scary as the first game, though there are a few spooky elements, and the graphics look terrific. The game also looks like it will have a few more story and RPG elements to play with, so it should be fun. The trailer also mentions that we won't have long to wait: Horn is due out this month. That's good news for fans of the first game who are looking to see what Phosphor has been working on. As soon as we see Horn in the App Store, we'll let you know.
Microsoft offers free 90-day evaluation of Windows 8 Enterprise edition to devs, releases .NET Framework 4.5 and Visual Studio 2012
Feeling bummed because you're an aspiring Windows 8 developer, but aren't a TechNet or MSDN subscriber, and so can't download the freshly minted Windows 8 RTM? Worry not, for a 90-day evaluation of Win8's Enterprise edition (both 32 and 64-bit versions in a variety of languages) can be had for free at the Windows Dev Center developer downloads page right now. Before you get cracking on apps for Microsoft's new OS, however, you'll need to grab the newly released Visual Studio 2012 as well. The Express version -- which allows for Metro Windows 8-style apps only -- is free, while the full Visual Studio experience is only currently available to MSDN subs. Additionally, the folks in Redmond have made it easier to write those apps by releasing the new .NET Framework 4.5 RTM. More info and all the software goodies can be found at the source links below. Microsoft devs, your downloads await.
GameCircle brings achievements, save game sync to Amazon's tablet
Get ready Kindle Fire fans, Amazon is throwing down the gaming gauntlet and taking on all comers. The content giant just announced GameCircle, a new tool available to developers publishing games on its customized Android platform. It allows the easy integration of an achievement system and leader boards that don't pull a user out of a game. Instead a simple pop up launches when you've been awarded a new trophy and closing it out lets you go right back to where you were (presumably cutting ropes, flinging birds or shooting zombies). Perhaps most exciting though, is the ability to sync progress between devices. Wherever you leave off, your data is sent to Amazon's magical cloud and pulled back down in the event that you sign on to a new device or accidentally delete your game. Of course, we're not too sure how much time you spend switching between Kindle Fires... unless....
AT&T officially releases Watson speech API, gives devs a bit of babel fish for their apps
Ma Bell's been hard at work on its Watson speech recognition system for years, and 2012 has seen the tech show up in an automobile and a real-time translator app. Months after announcing it would grant Watson's skills to the developer masses, AT&T has made good on its promise and officially released its Speech API. In case you forgot, AT&T's Nuance competitor's been tailored for different use cases -- including voice web search, voicemail-to-text and talk-to-text -- so that it can offer contextually accurate results in any app. If you're among the coders itchin' to test out Watson's capabilities, head on past the break for a promotional video, then click the source below to sign up for access.
Apple aware of corrupt apps issue, working on a fix (Update: Fixed!)
Earlier this morning, reports started circulating that the App Store was pushing corrupt binaries to iOS and Mac users, resulting in constant crashes of the affected apps. Marco Arment, of Instapaper fame, was one of the first to notice and very vocal -- bringing the issue to the attention of many in the media and at Apple. The list of affected apps is pretty staggering, including such high profile titles as Angry Birds Space, Yahoo! Search, Google Reader and, of course, Instapaper. The number of developers affected now tops 115, so we'd hold off on those updates. For the first several hours Apple was mum on the issue, but it has finally acknowledged the problem in the support forums and even reached out to developers via email. Suspicions seem to be that the FairPlay DRM is at the root, but until we have official word from Apple we'll refrain from laying the blame at its feet. Cupertino is working (we assume tirelessly) on a fix, which will hopefully be delivered sooner, rather than later. Update: Apple has confirmed to AllThingsD that the problem was due to a "server that generated DRM code" and has been fixed. Affected end users are advised to delete the corrupted apps and redownload them.
Google helps train developers, hook up universities in new education programs
While it only just revealed Google Developers Live earlier last week, offering interactive broadcasts and tutorials, the hardware-dabbling giant has now kicked off two more programs to support its dev faithful. The Google App Engine, Google Drive, YouTube and several advertising APIs will all be covered by the Google Developers Academy, a new site hub that offers up training materials on the above, with more promised in the future. It's joined by a new University Consortium, aiming to collaborate between academics who use Google's tools and dev platforms in their research and teaching. Both sites are now live -- learners can hit up the sources for all the details.
Microsoft revives free Windows desktop development tools, didn't mean to make you cry
Microsoft has resuscitated Visual Studio Express for Windows Desktop, a few weeks after deciding to bump it off. The company had wanted to push developers onto the $400 professional edition of the software, but a volley of complaints forced the climbdown. When it arrives in the fall, it'll let hobbyists, beginners and open-source coders create desktop and command-line applications... for free!
GitHub branches out, releases Windows client
GitHub, the version tracking and collaboration platform for developers, has proven quite popular, especially with the open source crowd. There's been one glaring issue with the dev hub, though -- lack of an easy to use Windows client. Sure, app creators could sync their changes though command line tools and SSH, but Mac devs have had a slick desktop app to call their own for sometime. Now Microsoft users get the same benefits, including the ability to merge branches and roll back changes, wrapped in pretty Metro-friendly package. You'll find more info and a download link at the source.
Telenav opens up Scout for Apps, the HTML5 GPS navigation service, to all interested devs
At the end of last year, Telenav revealed its browser-based HTML5 turn-by-turn navigation system and made it available to a select few devs to put it to good use. For an encore, it unveiled its personalized GPS service, Scout, at CES. Now, the company has created Scout for Apps and made the service available to all developers who want it, assuming they're coding iOS or HTML5 applications (Android support is in the works, and is slated to arrive later this year). That means that apps and websites can now incorporate turn-by-turn navigation directly, as opposed to launching a separate application to get you where you want to go. Keep in mind that Telenav isn't pitching this as a full GPS replacement -- more a value added proposition to developers -- and after spending some time using Scout, we can see why.We tested the browser-based Scout service on our Android handset to run a few errands, and we found it a useful tool, but it certainly pales in comparison to its application counterparts. There's noticeable lag when attempting to swipe around maps, no pinch to zoom (onscreen buttons are the only option), and it lacks features like traffic reports or a way to remember favorite locations. That said, it does do a good job of getting you where you want to go, and the rudimentary nav functionality is certainly more appealing than the static maps found in apps currently. Plus, it's quite nice to not have to launch a separate application to get directions. If you want to test Scout for Apps on your mobile, hit the source link below, but check out the PR and video after the break to learn a little more before you do.
Mass Effect 3 multiplayer strategy videos to help you destroy everyone
Mass Effect 3's multiplayer has more depth than a panel at the "I'm A Reality TV Star And I Have More Twitter Followers Than You" convention (IARTVSAIHMTFTY Con), or at least that's what we think BioWare developers are trying to get across in the two mulitplayer strategy videos viewable right here.The above video explains tactics for taking out specific enemies in multiplayer combat, and the one below discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each combat class. Get educated:
Bunnie Huang builds open-source geiger counter to help Japanese civilians
Chumby co-creator Andrew "Bunnie" Huang was so moved by the Japanese Earthquake and Fukushima meltdown that he felt compelled to help out. Teaming up with nonprofit organization Safecast, he started work on a radiation monitor that was suitable for everyday civilian use, rather than it remain the sole province of officials. As well as its readings being able to stand up to scientific scrutiny, Huang's counter had to remain functional after a natural disaster, last for ages and be small enough for people to carry around. When he had finished building the reference design, he open-sourced the design so companies like Medcom and individuals could build their own. If you'd like to dabble in the arts of radiation monitoring, head on down to the source link for a fascinating insight into how it's done.
Microsoft: there's a limit to Tango's love (for 256MB devices, anyway)
Microsoft's going after the low-end market with devices like the Lumia 610 and its brethren. The handset's biggest limitation is that it only packs 256MB RAM and Redmond spent last week imploring developers to slim down their apps or face ghettoization. Now the company's revealing what else will be missing from Tango's cheapie iteration: Video podcasts, Bing local scout, fast app switching, automatic photo uploading, HD video playback (with certain codecs) and background agents will all be disabled. On the upside, this efficiency drive should ensure Windows Phone's apps remain as lithe and responsive as its interface is. Developers interested in learning more can head down to our source link for a dash of nitty and a spoonful of gritty. Update: To clarify, the fast app switching situation is a little more nuanced: apps which uses upwards of 90MB will be "tombstoned" on deactivation, but those occupying less memory should fast resume just fine.
