gdc-2011
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Resistance 3 multiplayer supports 16 players, intros new abilities
Insomniac Games has dropped the first details on the multiplayer component in Resistance 3, and those hoping the developer would reach MAG levels of simultaneous combatants after the 60-player Resistance 2 should probably be seated. Rather than escalate, the game's online offering will be more intimate, maxing out at 16 players -- eight on eight in any mode. The dev says the move is about making the competitive experience more "personal" -- not for any technical reasons. After playing a few matches at tonight's preview event, we found the sole map being demoed, a prison in the Republic of Chad (all the multiplayer stages are set outside the US), nicely sized for the player count. Admittedly, the action was considerably tame compared to the massive battles of the previous game in the series. Insomniac revealed -- and we tried -- some active and passive multiplayer abilities, the former represented by health/ammo drops and an electrified shield; the latter are always-active "stat buffs," such as making yourself more accurate when shooting while running. The final element we saw was the Berserk, which is rewarded for kill streaks and made our Chimeran character temporarily invisible. Objective-based modes are to be revealed later, giving us hope that the developer has some fresh ideas lined up for them.%Gallery-118253%
GDC 2011: Tom Chilton discusses Cataclysm design, talent and zone revamps
Tom Chilton gave a comprehensive and enlightening talk today at the Game Developers Conference, discussing remaking the World of Warcraft through Cataclysm's systems and content revamps. Chilton talked about some very interesting topics, including WoW's talent tree revamp, how he feels that the revamp of Desolace fell incredibly short of its potential, and a warning about the illusion of choice.
Unreal Engine 3 running on Mac OS X (and images of DirectX 11 features on PC, cigarettes)
We just got out of a GDC demo of some Unreal Engine 3 improvements already available to licensees but, perhaps more interestingly, Mark Rein promised that UE3 on Mac OS X is still coming. While towing a laptop sporting the UDK test game (it's pretty much Unreal Tournament) running on Mac OS X, Rein has confirmed that Unreal Engine has finally made its way to Mac OS ... only four years after announcing Gears of War for the platform. We've got an interview with Rein soon, so keep an eye on the site for that later. In the meantime, feel free to peruse our gallery below full of shots documenting the new features of Unreal Engine 3, including Direct X11 functionality. It would appear the engine has managed to do what Melanie Griffith hasn't: age gracefully. %Gallery-118241%
Okabu preview: Not quite floating in the clouds
Based out of London, HandCircus is responsible for the celebrated iOS game Rolando and its sequel. During GDC, I met with representatives from the studio to play Okabu, the developer's first console title, a PSN exclusive, following its mobile breakout. Like Rolando, Okabu is overbearingly cute with bright contrasting colors and cuddly characters. And that's pretty much where the comparison ends.%Gallery-118058%
Video from Sony's NGP panel: Uncharted Portable, Little Deviants, and augmented dino-reality
In order to show developers precisely what NGP is capable of – and to break up the fifty plus slides used in the one hour presentation! – Sony shared three live demos of NGP software and we dutifully recorded them. Apologies for the poor quality of the NGP screen – the combination of the bright OLED screen being captured on video, piped to a conference center projector, and then in turn captured by our camera has resulted in some ... less than stellar video quality. But you will be able to glean the input mechanics and the style of gameplay (or in the case of the augmented reality demo, dinosaurplay). Check out videos of Little Deviants, Uncharted Portable, and augmented reality after the break. %Gallery-118245%
Jaffe: Console makers should limit game updates to four per year
During the GDC "micro-talk" panel, God of War and Twisted Metal creator David Jaffe declared that console makers should cap the number of bug-fix patches publishers can release for their games. "Hardware manufacturers, I feel, should only allow one to four updates to the software per game per year," he said, drawing a huge round of applause. "None of them should come within the first one to two months the game is shipping," he added. Jaffe was speaking to what he sees is an industry-wide need to cut down on the amount of time it takes console gamers to actually get into playing their games -- the main topic of his five-minute speech -- but he also wanted to remind developers that releasing games with bugs is actually not okay. "When I first started, when the disc was shipped it was our last chance [to get rid of bugs] off the bat," Jaffe recalled. "If developers could make it work then, then today they can at least make sure our games don't have to be updated the first week they hit shelves." Jaffe also suggested that hardware makers implement a feature that lets players bypass boot sequences and system menus, so they can launch directly into the latest save files for whatever games are in their consoles' drives. He noted that mobile device manufacturers and some game makers have gotten it right, citing the likes of New Super Mario Bros. on DS and pretty much all iOS titles. We'll see if any of these bold new ideas make it into Jaffe's next release, the Twisted Metal reboot.
MotoHeroz preview: Don't let the 'z' turn you away
RedLynx's WiiWare racer MotoHeroz might as well be two separate games. In single player, it's a Trials-esque stunt racer with a cartoon style and bizarre, looping, interactive levels. And in multiplayer, it's Smash Bros. with trucks. Both modes use the same physics-based movement -- in fact, it's the physics that make multiplayer so wild.%Gallery-118021%
Grab a Solstice Reborn Lucky Ball code and enter to win
This week we're all about the GDC 2011 love here at Massively. Not only is our team working hard to bring you all the hottest news from the show, but we're also trying to hand off some of the convention fun in the form of digital swag! During our visit yesterday to see the Outspark team and catch up with all the company has been doing in its free-to-play games, we were offered a treat for Massively readers: a special code for a free Solstice Reborn Lucky Ball. When used, the Solstice Reborn Lucky Ball will give players a random item that will help them level quickly in the game. Potions? Something more powerful? Well, you won't know until you redeem yours! However that's not all this Lucky Ball can do. U.S. players who redeem Lucky Balls in Solstice Reborn are automatically entered into a drawing to win a trip for two to Wondercon in San Francisco. Twenty other second-place winners will nab a Solstice Reborn t-shirt of their very own. Curious about how to get your Solstice Reborn Lucky Ball? Join us behind the break for all the details!
Indie Fund assists with Monaco, Qube, and Shadow Physics
One year in, the Indie Fund is currently providing money for the development of three games. Nathan Vella, Ron Carmel, and Kellee Santiago of the Indie Fund – all established indies themselves – and fundees Andy Schatz (Monaco), Steve Swink (Shadow Physics), and Daniel Da Rocha (Qube) gathered in a panel to discuss the successes and failures of the alternate funding method, which is designed to "put itself out of business as soon as possible," as Vella put it, to promote self-sufficient indies.
GDC 2011: Spacetime pontificates on pocket MMOs
Although portable MMOs seem like the next logical step in enabling our online gaming addiction, remarkably few titles have graced the field as yet. Of the select few, Spacetime Studio's Pocket Legends heads the pack in style and popularity. It appeals to a wide range of players because the basic game is free; the developer charges players only for expansions and other item shop goodies. Cinco Barnes took the opportunity to speak at GDC about how Spacetime sorted out the complex issues surrounding portable MMOs, how the studio came up with the payment structure, and what the team learned as it goes forward with its next MMO, Blackstar. Pocket Legends' roots go back to 2005 when Spacetime Studios took some seed money from NCsoft and began work on a large-space sci-fi MMO for PCs. While the project went bust and NCsoft pulled funding, Spacetime came away with the technology it developed if not the deep pockets to compete in the field. By 2009, the company became enamoured with the iPhone as a gaming device and decided to take the tools it had developed to create a unique game for that platform.
Sega Rally Online Arcade preview: Something old, something kinda new
"It's not a brand new game. It's kind of a combination of Sega Rally 3, the arcade game, and Sega Rally Revo," Sega brand manager Ben Harbone explained to me during a GDC 2011 event. "It's got all of the gameplay characteristics from the arcade game -- it's running on the Arcade engine -- but with some of the Sega Rally Revo cars." There are a total of 13 cars in Sega Rally Online Arcade, an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network bound title, spanning the more popular rally offerings like the Subaru WRX, Ford Focus and Mitsubishi Evo, along with five different tracks to zip around in. %Gallery-117987%
Magicka on consoles is 'up to Sony and Microsoft' right now
There's been talk of bringing Magicka to the PS3 and Xbox 360 for some time now. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios has been quite vocal about wanting to bring the game to "all consoles," but right now, it would seem there's a considerable roadblack. Speaking with Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt, we asked him what the delay in conjuring a console port was. "We're working on bringing Magicka to consoles -- we are, really. The problem is that it's not up to us. It's up to Sony and Microsoft, really, but we're working on getting it to consoles. That's the way it should be played." It would appear for now, at least, the only way to get that console feeling is to play on PC with an Xbox 360 controller.
Seen@GDC: Yu Suzuki vs. USSR
We ... don't think he can claim all of these things as his "game works."
GDC 2011: Allods Online backs off on death penalties
Big news from our GDC 2011 team! gPotato has confirmed that it is working furiously toward finally launching Allods Online out of the perpetual beta state that so many free-to-play games seem to be stuck in. It's due to fully launch at some point this spring. However, that's not all. Apparently, the devs have been listening to the community's ongoing complaints about the death penalties and are taking a major step: They're making holy charms completely free in the cash shop, as of just a little while ago. Furthermore, the word is that the change is going to be permanent! While this only affects the gPotato version of the game, we're certain the community will find this an incredibly welcome change. The idea of having to purchase items from the cash shop to defray the costs of death has never sat particularly well with Western gamers. Allods Online may be a highly polished and fun free-to-play game, but when any game nudges you to spend money just to remove curses applied as a result of your inevitable in-game death, it quickly loses its charm. Whether or not we'll see any additional items drop in price before launch, we don't know. Still, this is a great day for Allods Online players -- as well as for those who wanted to play the game but left because the "death penalty=cash shop purchase" concept was distasteful. Look for more from our talk with gPotato at GDC 2011 soon!
Curt Schilling on 38 Studios' MMO and the move to Rhode Island
It's been nearly half a year since the deal was signed, but 38 Studios head Curt Schilling tells us that his company's "150 - 160" employees are already in the process of moving to Rhode Island. That includes full relocation for everyone involved (read: selling that dream Boston house for a cottage in Quahog), though the company's own website still reflects 38's original address. Surprisingly, he says morale hasn't been affected negatively. "The team is incredibly excited. It's our building! We have all six floors -- it's our studio and we're alone. It's our space," Schilling explained to us this afternoon at a San Francisco club-turned-EA event. "Gavin -- the studio GM -- and I, we really took a Disney approach," he said. "There's no detail too small for us in the new studio to make it a place where people walk in and say, 'I wanna work there.'" At the time, he wouldn't say much about what exactly the happy folks inside his company's new digs are making.
Yu Suzuki: 'I think Sega's going to let me' make Shenmue 3
During his GDC 2011 panel, Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki said "I think Sega will let me make it," referring to the long-awaited Shenmue 3. However, it's not a guarantee. He couched the discussion by saying it's contingent on budget issues -- by the way, Suzuki said that Shenmue cost $47 million to make, not the patently ridiculous $70 million Sega quoted -- and that he basically could only be sure that 200 people (the people in the room) would buy it. So it probably won't amount to anything. But Yu Suzuki just sustained our hopes of continued Shenmue regardless.
Zelda Ocarina of Time 3DS screens give us the Water Temple chills
As excited as we are for the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, this latest batch of screens for the visually renovated title has reminded us of the game's tortuous toll: The Water Temple. So lengthy. So confusing. So, so much boot-swapping!
3DS to have access to over 10,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots by late May
There's no doubt that watching 3D movie trailers on your 3DS is going to make you look like some sort of future spaceman. But what good is it if you can only show off on your own Wi-Fi network? Nintendo has heard your pleas, and will allow 3DS users free access to over 10,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots by late May, Reggie Fils-Amie announced today during the company's GDC keynote. Why yes, Starbucks patron, that is a 3D trailer for Must Love Dogs. Thanks so much for noticing.
3DS Virtual Console getting Game Gear and TurboGraphx-16 games, coming late May
In addition to select, hand-picked Game Boy and Game Boy Color classics, the 3DS's Virtual Console will also play host to titles from two slightly surprising sources: The Sega Game Gear and TurboGraphx-16 handhelds. No specific entries from the two devices were named during Reggie Fils-Aime's presentation at Nintendo's GDC keynote today -- though we've got our fingers crossed for the speedy arrival of Sonic Chaos. Fils-Aime also confirmed the late May arrival of the Virtual Console via a system update, which wiill also introduce a handful of the device's other online features, including: DSiWare (and the ability to transfer DSiWare games from a DSi or DSi XL), the web browser and eShop. It's likely to be the same update that will add Netflix and some 3D video features, too.
GDC 2011: World of Tanks' clan wars showcase player and developer passion
MMO devs rarely play their own games, right? That's the conventional player wisdom, anyway, and it's commonly found on forums, guild chats, and vent channels after a particularly painful nerf. Apparently the devs at Wargaming.net didn't get that memo, though, as our GDC sit-down with Victor Kislyi illustrated. Kislyi is the driving force behind World of Tanks, the World War II-based action MMO currently shattering industry concurrent user records as its Russian beta steamrolls the free-to-play competition. Not only does Kislyi play his own game, but he plays (and discusses) it with such passion that you can't help but root for the scrappy title and the team from Belarus that is bringing it to life. Join us after the cut to see what Kislyi had to say about the upcoming clan wars implementation as well as player politics.
