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Nikon to replace some defective 'dust spot' D600s with brand new cameras
After offering up several solutions to a sensor spotting problem on its full-frame D600 DSLR -- with limited success -- Nikon has now said that it will replace any defective cameras that can't be repaired. When reports of the oil and dust spots first cropped up, Nikon suggested that photographers clean the sensors themselves or send them for cleaning under warranty. However, when some users found that the shutter was ejecting difficult-to-clean oil on the sensor, it began to offer free shutter mechanism replacements. Recently, some owners also reported that they were sent brand new Nikon D600s and even newer D610's instead of a repair. Nikon has now admitted as much in a letter of apology, and said it will continue to repair or replace the model as needed, even out of warranty. It may also explain why it brought the very similar D610 to market so quickly.
DUST 514's Uprising 1.8 patch out today
CCP has released Uprising 1.8 for its DUST 514 console shooter. It's a significant patch on account of the "full equipment, weapon, and dropsuit rebalancing," not to mention new sidearms, cloaking equipment, and new heavy and light dropsuits for each of the game's races. Cloaking is a game-changer, CCP says, and so "coordinated use of active scanners is vital, and properly placed drop uplinks and nanohives can help provide victory in even the most difficult battles."
DUST 514 jacks up its arsenal but nerfs damage output
DUST 514's small-arms arsenal is getting a few new options with Uprising 1.8. The patch will add three new guns and reduce damage to allow for longer fights. The new guns include the Caldari Bolt Pistol, a high-DPS, small-clip handgun; the Caldari Magsec SMG, a semi-automatic with higher damage than other SMGs; and the Gallente Ion Pistol, a plasma-shooting beast that punches right through enemies' armor and shields. The devs said that they will be tweaking time-to-kill in 1.8 by reducing the power of high-level damage modifiers, taking one grenade away from what players could previously hold at a time, reducing base damage for several weapons, and applying weapon proficiency skill bonuses against either shields or armor.
EVE Evolved: What to expect from EVE Fanfest 2014
Almost 10 years ago, EVE Online developer CCP Games started a new tradition with the first ever annual EVE Fanfest. The event started out as a largely informal gathering in a tiny venue that allowed players and developers to mingle on a more personal level, but it's now grown into something massive. Over a thousand players now make the annual pilgrimage to EVE Online's birthplace in Reykjavik, Iceland, to hear what the future holds for their favourite MMO. For many, the event is also a social gathering, a chance to swap stories with other players, and a rare opportunity to meet the corpmates they fly with every day in the virtual galaxy of New Eden. The Fanfest weekend is typically a packed schedule of panels, talks, roundtable discussions with developers, and keynote speeches revealing the future of the game. While the event is understandably focused on EVE Online, it's recently expanded to cover aspects of DUST 514, the latest goings-on with World of Darkness, and even CCP's new virtual reality dogfighter EVE Valkyrie. CCP has announced that this year's event will see a monument to the EVE playerbase unveiled in Reykjavik Harbor as well as the first reveal of EVE's summer expansion, but what else can we hope to glean from this year's event at the start of May? In this edition of EVE Evolved, I delve into the EVE Fanfest announcement and speculate on what we might expect to hear from this year's event. Will this be the year that World of Darkness gets some serious news? And what's new for DUST 514?
Dust: An Elysian Tail pulls off 1 million sale combo
Action adventure game Dust: An Elysian Tail has chained together 1 million sales, developer Dean Dodrill announced on Twitter yesterday. Dust follows the tail tale of an amnesia-ridden warrior and his fluttering sidekick, Fidget, as they piece together his past and present identity. After clearing a million sales however, we don't think Dust's name is going to be forgotten again any time soon. Dust originally launched on Xbox Live Arcade in August 2012, going on to reach Steam, GOG and participate in a Humble Bundle. It also won Microsoft's $40,000 Dream-Build-Play award in 2009. Just before his sales announcement, Dodrill tweeted that he was thinking of taking on "something small" before diving into his next big game, but whether that's a smaller game or something else entirely remains to be seen. [Image: Humble Hearts]
CCP Games reveals big plans for EVE Fanfest 2014
The universe of EVE Online may be best known as a crazy virtual galaxy full of back-stabbing pirates and political betrayal, but for a few days each year it becomes something altogether more tangible. At the annual EVE Fanfest, hundreds of the game's most devoted fans make the long pilgrimage to the game's birthplace in Reykjavik, Iceland. In addition to the official talks and reveals on the game's future from developer CCP Games, Fanfest plays host to charity raffles, roundtable discussions with developers, and informal get-togethers for players to share their stories. Last year's 10th anniversary Fanfest was the biggest one yet, with information included on World of Darkness and DUST 514 and the official reveal of Oculus Rift-based dogfighter EVE Valkyrie. This year's attendees can look forward to the first ever live demo of EVE's yet-to-be-revealed summer expansion, hands-on experience with the next major evolution of DUST 514, and playtests of a brand-new build of the virtual reality dogfighter EVE Valkyrie. This year's Fanfest will also see a special monument dedicated to EVE Online players revealed to the world; The "Worlds Within a World" monument will be installed in Reykjavik Harbor and will be etched with the names of all active EVE subscribers on March 1st. It's also hoped that crowdfunded EVE Online documentary A Tale of Internet Spaceships will be premiered during the Fanfest weekend, and we'll reportedly hear the latest on CCP's new EVE comic book and live action TV series. The event takes place from May 1st to May 3rd, and I'll be attending this year's event on behalf of Massively to bring you in-depth first-hand coverage of all the big reveals. Stay tuned!
CCP's Craig Scott switches to lead designer at Bigpoint
Free-to-play-focused publisher Bigpoint has announced the newest addition to its design team: Craig Scott. Scott jumps into the role of lead designer on a new game for Bigpoint. A 14-year gaming industry veteran, Scott was previously at CCP where he first worked on character creation in EVE Online, moved up to manage the game's design team, and ultimately worked to turn the fate of Dust 514 around. Scott noted that his new position affords "space for trying new things, which is a premise for making really innovative games." Of Scott, Bigpoint CEO Khaled Helioui said, "Craig brings a genuine passion for game design and innovation for the benefit of the players, and he fits perfectly with the game development philosophy we are promoting at Bigpoint. We are focused on attracting the most brilliant minds in the industry to develop innovative and incredibly fun games." [Source: Bigpoint press release]
EVE Evolved: EVE needs real colonisation now
MMOs have absolutely exploded in popularity over the past decade, with online gaming growing from a niche hobby to a global market worth billions of dollars each year. Once dominated by subscription games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft, recent years have seen free-to-play games take centre stage. Global MMO subscriptions have been reportedly shrinking since 2010, and EVE doesn't appear to be immune to this industry-wide trend. Though February 2013's figures showed EVE subscriptions have technically grown year-on-year, those numbers were published just after the Chinese server relaunch, and CCP hasn't released any new figures since. Developers have done a good job of catering to current subscribers and polishing existing gameplay with the past few expansions, but the average daily login numbers are still the same as they were over four years ago. EVE will undoubtedly hook in plenty of new and returning subscribers when its deep space colonisation gameplay with player-built stargates and new hidden solar systems is implemented, but time could be running out on these features. Hefty competition is due in the next few years from upcoming sandbox games such as Star Citizen, EverQuest Next, Camelot Unchained, and Elite: Dangerous, and CCP will have to release something big soon to bring in some fresh blood. In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether CCP should focus on new players and suggest plans for two relatively simple colonisation-based expansions that could get EVE a significant part of the way toward its five-year goal in just one year.
DUST 514: Uprising upgrades factional warfare, vehicles, and more
The Uprising has begun. Today, CCP rolls out DUST 514's 1.7 update, dubbed Uprising, which includes new weapons, a new volcano-themed battleground, and an overhauled vehicle system. On top of that, the studio is strengthening the link between the ground game and EVE Online. Oh, and you can shoot your comrades now, too! Two new rifles join the game's arsenal: the Minmatar Combat Rifle (short and medium ranges) and the Caldari Rifle (for long range). The vehicle changes, while streamlining vehicle fitting and laying a foundation for future vehicle variations, also address some players requests; temporary lock-timers will prevent anyone other than vehicle owners and squadmates from hopping in a vehicle (for five and 15 seconds, respectively) after it is deployed. If you want higher stakes in factional warfare, you've got it, as friendly fire has been enabled. Additionally, players participating in factional contracts will receive loyalty point that can buy exclusive faction-aligned weapons. And those orbital strikes? Those have to be earned by capsuleers in EVE Online by securing orbiting satellites. More details are available on the official site. [Source: CCP press release]
Massively unboxes EVE Online's Collector's Edition
Sci-fi MMO EVE Online initially launched as a physical disc sold in stores back in 2003 and saw limited success in the fledgling MMO space. A decade of regular updates and digital distribution has seen EVE grow organically into the largest sci-fi sandbox on the planet with over half a million subscribers, but until now something has been missing: EVE has never had an actual collector's edition box. To celebrate 10 successful years of operation, last month CCP officially released the EVE Second Decade Collector's Edition box. I recently received a review copy of the Collector's Edition from CCP and have put together an unboxing video with my general impressions of the items within. The collection comes in a sturdy presentation box and contains a 192-page commemorative hardback book looking back on the first decade of EVE's history, along with an anniversary re-release edition of CCP's board game Danger Game and a physical Rifter model that doubles as a USB hub. The pack also comes with a new account key with 60 days of game time, a soundtrack CD of the EVE music played by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and keys to unlock billions of ISK worth of virtual collectables in-game. It's pretty expensive at around €150 or $150 US, but the virtual items can be sold in game to claw back some of the cost in the form of PLEX. Enjoy our look at the new CE!
Free for All: MMORPGs for your new console
Consoles and MMOs do not have the stand-offish relationship that they used to have. In fact, there are so many different MMOs to choose from on consoles that it's seriously tempting to pick up one of the new ones -- the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 -- even though I wasn't planning on it for a long, long time. I enjoy using a controller with MMOs so much that I plan on covering the subject more in the future. So let's get to the list of MMOs that are currently on consoles or that will be coming out on consoles in the near(ish) future. Massively's own Mike Foster put together a fantastic list last summer, but I thought I would update and pass it on. After all, the new consoles are officially here... so be sure to reference the list when you need a new MMO to play on your shiny new console!
Tickets now available for EVE Fanfest 2014
It's time to pack your bags and get ready for a trip to sunny Iceland if you're an EVE Online fan. Yes, the EVE Fanfest isn't until May, but the tickets are now available for purchase if you already know you need to be there. Tickets are normally $175, but there's a limited number of early bird tickets available for $150 if you jump on the deal fast enough. As it has in previous years, the fanfest will contain an assortment of panels and revelations for the games under the CCP Games umbrella, including EVE Online, DUST 514, and the upcoming EVE: Valkyrie. There will also be pub crawls, dinner with the developers, and the Party at the Top of the World to finish it all off. If that sounds like your sort of deal, grab your tickets now and start budgeting for the trip in a few months.
DUST 514's new community manager recaps EVE Vegas 2013
Did you miss the largest EVE Online/DUST 514 party outside of Iceland's Fanfest this year? EVE Vegas happened back in October, but CCP's newest community manager, CCP Saberwing, recaps the event for those who may not have been there in body or sobriety. Since this was the first time the fan-run event was officially sponsored with 25 devs attending, there were more official panels and presentations than ever before. And luckily for all of us who didn't make it, the presentations can all be viewed through the EVE Vegas 2013 YouTube playlist.
EVE Evolved: What DUST 514 should have been
It's now been almost six months since DUST 514's official release, and I think it's safe to say it hasn't quite lived up to expectations. The game was lauded for its revolutionary realtime link with the EVE Online universe, but so far there's very little back-and-forth between the two titles. Originally intended as an MMO in its own right but also as an integral part of EVE's territorial endgame, DUST now exists largely as a lobby-based first-person shooter with the twist that equipment is lost on death. Even the planetary conquest portion of DUST that could be considered its most MMO-esque element has been abstracted into a series of instanced and scheduled 24v24 battles. DUST's main rival during development was the PC-based PlanetSide 2, and had the two games released on the same platform, I'm sure that rivalry would still be in the media spotlight. I've been playing PlanetSide 2 for just a few days, and I can already see elements that would make it a far better fit for the EVE universe than the current version of DUST. So what could DUST learn from its non-console-only counterpart? In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at how PlanetSide 2 handles issues of persistence, planetary conquest, and vehicle spawning, and why I think DUST 514 should be borrowing a few tricks from its game design.
EVE Evolved: Merging Valkyrie with EVE Online
Ever since its release in 2003, EVE Online has been bombarded with requests for direct flight controls and dogfighter-style gameplay. Most ships in EVE are huge lumbering hulks compared to real-world aircraft, more akin to large sea-faring ships than nimble jetfighters. Even tiny agile Interceptors can't be controlled directly, instead having the player issue commands to fly in a particular direction or move toward or orbit an object. As a result, combat in EVE has become much more heavily about the strategy of directing fleets of dozens or hundreds of ships than any kind of piloting skill or twitch control. This year's EVE Fanfest gave players a glimpse into the world of immersive twitch combat with the announcement of a new dogfighting game set in the EVE Online universe. Originally starting out as an virtual reality experiment by a few developers in their spare time, EVE Valkyrie has now become a full game in its own right and an example of what's possible with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. It was always assumed that Valkyrie was an EVE game in name and theme only, but recently developers have revealed that they'd like it to tie into the actual EVE Online universe itself. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at recently revealed information on EVE Valkyrie and speculate on how it could be integrated into the EVE universe.
EVE: The Second Decade Collector's Edition has landed
You've known that EVE Online's giant tribute to the game's first 10 years was coming in the form of a special collector's edition of the game, and now you can finally get your hands on it. The Second Decade CE is chock full of in-game items, from clothing to ship skins to a CCP Mystery Code for a special item, as well as real-world collectibles like a commemorative hardcover book, a board game, and an EVE Online Symphony CD. There are also in-game rewards available for DUST 514. The Second Decade CE can still be purchased at EVE's new store for $149.99. If you're currently waiting for yours to arrive, you can help pass the time by watching the official unboxing trailer below. [Source: CCP press release]
Return to DUST 514, get free dropsuits
CCP wants you to know that it's made a bunch of changes to its EVE-universe DUST 514 shooter. The company has a new "welcome back" page on its official DUST website that features a promotion for players with that have been inactive for more than 60 days. Gifts include 100 copies of the Black Eagles Scout dropsuit and 100 copies of the Quafe Scout dropsuit. The blurb also mentions various in-game improvements since last May's Uprising 1.0 patch. In other DUST news, Polygon interviewed new executive producer Jean-Charles Gaudechon, who says his first order of business is to amp up the new player experience. "If I would want to push the game somewhere right now," he explained, "it would be to really focus on that kind of visceral gameplay -- that intense first few hours, first few days of playing the game -- and making sure that we can engage more people into that world, into that fiction, and show you how deep and rich that universe is."
Plan your EVE Vegas weekend with this final schedule
Wondering what's in the cards for EVE Vegas this weekend? Speculate no more: The final schedule of events has been released for EVE Online's convention being held at the Rio Las Vegas from October 18th through the 20th. The weekend kicks off with poker and a pub crawl on Friday, then dives into seminars, round tables, and PvP tournaments for both EVE and DUST 514 on Saturday and Sunday. Attendees will also have the chance for some hands-on with the VR dogfighter Valkyrie. If you aren't one of the virtual pilots able to attend the event live, you can still watch the various seminars and talks from both the developers and members of the community via CCP's official Twitch channel. For the times of each event, see the schedule below or visit the official site.
CCP hires new Executive Producer for DUST 514, Jean-Charles Gaudechon
It makes sense to hire people based on what they've already proven capable of doing. That's obvious. If someone has built seven houses that have all stood up to hurricanes, you're probably going to hire that guy to build your hurricane shelter. And if someone's familiar with making multiplayer first-person shooters work in the free-to-play market, well, you'll hire him to manage DUST 514. That's what CCP Games did with their newest Executive Producer for the game. Jean-Charles Gaudechon previously worked for Electronic Arts in Stockholm, Sweden, where he worked on both Battlefield: Play4free and Battlefield Heroes. He also worked on Need for Speed World, which is less of a shooter but still an online title with similar needs to DUST 514. Gaudechon will be responsible for overseeing further development of the title at CCP's Shanghai studio and will report directly to senior VP of product development Sean Decker. [Source: CCP Games press release]
CCP still sees 'massive opportunity' on PS3 for DUST 514
CCP is apparently content to keep DUST 514 on the PlayStation 3 for the time being, even though there's no exclusivity deal preventing it from appearing on other platforms. CEO Hilmar Petursson recently told Eurogamer that "there isn't anything preventing us from doing anything like that other than focus and prioritization." "It's easy to go and look at all the new shiny things that are coming but we don't want to be doing that. We want to stick to our guns," Petursson said. "There are 80 million PlayStation 3s and we have a free-to-play game; I think there is a massive opportunity in continuing to work on that throughout next year." If that sounds like CCP isn't quite sure whether or not it will bring DUST to the upcoming PlayStation 4, well, yes. "We just haven't decided," Petursson said. "It's just as simple as that. It can, technically, be [on the PS4]. There's nothing preventing it, it's just not what we're focusing on."
