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Uber's former self-driving lead is creating an AI religion
In a development that wouldn't be out of place in a Black Mirror episode, we could soon be worshipping an artificially intelligent god figure. And this isn't a satirical take on our existing roles as disciples of social media, or the transcendental joy we feel when an Uber Eats delivery arrives. According to state filings uncovered by Wired, in September 2015 disgraced engineer Anthony Levandowski established a non-profit religious corporation called Way of the Future. Its mission: "To develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on artificial intelligence and through understanding and worship of the Godhead contribute to the betterment of society." In the last two months alone we've seen robots perform funeral ceremonies and AI chips mimic the human brain -- could a Deus ex Machina really be that far behind?
Religion and gambling have the same effect on your brain
Finding Jesus can feel a lot like falling in love, winning an award or getting high because all of these events activate the same reward circuits in the brain, according to a new study from the University of Utah. Researchers studied fMRI scans of 19 devout Mormons as they were exposed to prayer, scripture and sermons designed by the LDS Church to evoke spiritual feelings, and found reproducible activation in the nucleus accumbens, a region in the brain associated with reward and pleasure.
The Daily Grind: Is your character religious?
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like your character's choice of religion (or not) was far more of a feature of pen-and-paper RPGs than in most CRPGs and MMOs. I can't think of many MMOs where you're ever asked to assign a fictional religion or deity to your character, save perhaps for Neverwinter's cosmetic choice and a more beneficial (and optional) selection in EverQuest II. Oh, and I think that some of the Guild Wars 2 races ask you to pick a deity as part of your personal story, so there's that. But that doesn't mean that your character can't have a deity to worship, if only in your own mind. After all, combat prowess isn't the beginning, middle, and end of character development. Does your character adhere to one of the faiths in the game? Does he or she have a patron saint of the underdark that is prayed to on a regular basis? 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!
SMITE raises money for world championship pot by selling items
SMITE has a new plan to raise money for its World Championship prize pool called The Odyssey. Basically, the Odyssey program allows players a limited-time window to purchase exclusive items and sets for the game that will never be sold again. Part of the proceeds from those sales will go into the prize pool for the championship. In other SMITE news, the game has added a new Mayan god. Cabrakan is a "destroyer of mountains," which is a good thing if you have a mountain coming at you down a lane. He's good at crowd control, protecting allies, and blocking enemy progress. We've got videos on both Cabrakan and the Odyssey program for you to watch after the break.
SMITE unveils your new nemesis, Nemesis
Hi-Rez has introduced a new goddess to the world of SMITE. Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge, is a physical melee warrior who "unleashes her vengeance on all who oppose her." According to the lore, Nemesis is in charge of dishing out punishment to both humans and gods guilty of hubris; her method is summed up nicely by the phrase, "Let the punishment fit the crime." Nemesis's abilities center on her massive blade. Swift Vengeance allows for a quick dash and slash followed by a second dash and slash, Slice and Dice is an AOE attack that damages and slows targets, Retribution creates a shield around her that absorbs damage, and Divine Judgment reduces the health and movement speed of a target god while stealing some of his or her protections. Catch Nemesis in action after the break.
MMO Mechanics: MOBAs vs. MMO battlegrounds
It may feel as if MMOs have always existed as a core part of our gaming repertoire, but the genre made its indelible mark on the industry just over a decade ago. MMO titans like World of Warcraft, EVE Online, and City of Heroes shaped the mechanics we now use as markers and basic standards for the quickly growing genre, and those mechanics have been reiterated and reforged by the countless additions to the MMO clan that we know and love today. This new MMO Mechanics column aims to navigate the mechanical minefield that is the modern MMO through in-depth opinion pieces, comparative analysis, and a little bit of Irish wit, starting with a peek at what distinguishes MMO PvP battlegrounds from Massively Online Battle Arenas. If women are from Venus and men are from Mars, MMOs and MOBAs must be from different galaxies altogether. Despite the similarities between MMO PvP arenas and MOBA matches, the two take very different approaches to progression, persistence, and matchmaking. This leads to two very separate yet equally engaging ways to test the mettle of your character against the might of a human opponent.
SMITE unveils Thanatos, Hand of Death
SMITE's roster of gods just got a little deeper with the addition of Thanatos, Hand of Death. Thanatos is a melee physical character with abilities centered on his massive scythe and has skills that enhance his movement speed, deliver massive damage, and siphon life from other gods. His entry in the SMITE arena stems from his boredom with ending the lives of mortals and the challenge represented by sending gods into death's domain. Check out the reveal video from Hi-Rez after the break for an in-depth look at Thanatos' abilities and a bit of story background on what makes him tick.
SMITE's newest god controls crowds and water
"Release the Kraken!" Yes, it was Zeus who said those words, but it was Poseidon who did the actual releasing. In Hi-Rez Studios' third-person multiplayer online battle arena SMITE, this god of the deep will take center stage in the patch dropping tomorrow. Poseidon's water-based abilities range from his passive wave-riding movement ability, Changing Tides, to his ultimate, Release the Kraken. Poseidon controls the battle field by slowing or impairing enemy movements. Besides dealing massive damage, his ultimate slows enemies in the blast radius, and his Whirlpool ability draws all enemies in the area toward the center of a raging maelstrom. Those players who enjoy playing support roles will definitely want to give this god a try tomorrow. Check out the full introductory video after the break.
Newest SMITE god specializes in ranged crowd control
Hi-Rez Studios has announced a new god this week for its popular multiplayer online battle arena SMITE. This god, named Neith: Weaver of Fate, is ushered in right along with the newest update to the open beta. Neith looks to be a ranged crowd control god who weaves and unravels webs to damage and control her enemies. You can learn all about Neith's origins and watch her in action during the video embedded just after the cut. [Thanks to Don for the tip!]
When two chatbots have a conversation, everyone wins (video)
What did one chatbot say to the other chatbot? Quite a lot, actually -- but good luck making any sense out of it. That's what researchers from Cornell's Creative Machines Lab recently discovered, after pitting two bots against one another for a good ol' fashioned talk-off. It's all part of the lab's submission to this year's Loebner Prize Competition in Artificial Intelligence -- an event that awards $100,000 to the team whose computer programs can conduct the most human-like conversations. Unfortunately for Cornell's squad, their chatbots still have a long way to go before achieving conversational coherence, though they could easily get hired as anchors on most cable news networks. Throughout the course of their frenetic (and often snippy) discussion, one bot raised heady questions about God and existence, while the other boldly claimed to be a unicorn. Basically, they had the exact same conversation we used to have in our dorm rooms every night, at around 4 am. Watch it for yourself after the break. It's nothing short of sublime.
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Mythica
While Microsoft may be the big cheese when it comes to operating systems and worldwide domination, for whatever reason the company has the absolute worst of luck (or worst of decision-makers) when it comes to MMOs. Microsoft Game Studios has proven remarkably skittish when it approached the swimming pool of online RPGs, choosing to dip a toe into the water, give a girlie scream, and run away without taking the dive. True Fantasy Live Online had a bumpy ride with the studio, Marvel Universe Online circled the drain faster than my morning shower, and the less said about its relationship with Vanguard's development, the better. But there was yet another aborted project that Microsoft jumped into -- and then back out of -- between 2003 and 2004, and in my opinion, it was the one the company should've stuck out to completion. I remember when Microsoft first announced Mythica, because I thought "This is gonna be cool." Vikings, Norse mythology, gods made flesh, and a big-name studio funding limitless adventures. In the pre-World of Warcraft era, the field was wide open for a company to come up and rival Sony Online Entertainment for the crown, so why not this one? But... cold water, skittish toes, and another MMO kicked the bucket before it saw the light of its first day. Take my hand (don't worry, I washed today) and we shall travel back to Ragnarök and beyond!
Vicar gives his blessing to cellphones and laptops (but not to their most common uses)
Not to be outdone by the Catholic Church with its iPod wielding Bishops and text messaging Pontiffs, the Rev. Canon David Parrott blessed mobile phones and laptop computers today at the St. Lawrence Jewry Church in London. The service, he said, was to "remind the capital's busy office workers that God's grace can reach them in many ways." Except through novelty bud earphones -- those clearly belong to the devil himself.
Video: Crafthouse's Melissa robotic hand sounds sweet, looks menacing
Is your poor robot getting by without digits? Without them the poor thing can't greet others, catch ping pong balls, or dial up its cyber-shorties. You need the Melissa Hand from Crafthouse, a servo-driven mitt that's just perfect for your little overlord-to-be. All five fingers open and close at the same time, so it's not ideal for rude robo-gestures, but the videos after the break should give you an idea of what kind of trouble you can get into with the 60mm wide paw. The price? ¥60,000, or about $600. If that's too rich you could always buy a single finger for around $50, but those who need the absolute best can spring for the so-called God Hand, a custom-made model that's a bit smaller (45mm wide) and costs a whopping ¥180,000 -- just shy of $2,000 for a set of left and right. For that kind of money we expect something a little more impressive. [Via Boing Boing Gadgets, Impress]
Faith Fighter shut down over Islamic protest
Yesterday, the media suddenly and unexpectedly went temporarily insane following UK Metro's coverage of Faith Fighter, a year-old Flash title that pits various deities against one another in Immortal Kombat. The backlash to the title from religious leaders was about as feverish as you might expect -- in fact, following protests from the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the title's Italian developer Molleindustria pulled the game from its site.The page where the site was once hosted now holds a message from the game's developers, blaming the Metro UK article for dredging up controversy and inciting protests over a game that has been "played by millions of players on the Internet" and "been exhibited in several artistic venues around the world." Of course, as Molleindustria was quick to point out, its pulling of the game is merely a symbolic gesture -- it's pretty tough to completely remove things from the internet.[Via GamePolitics]
And the Lord said unto Sony, '01101000 01100...'
With pointy hats and staffs stowed in a coat-check of pure gold, Catholic bishops have decreed the use of mass, digital communications to spread the word of the bible in as many languages as possible. In a statement just issued to the flock, the bishops said:"The voice of the Divine Word must resonate over the radio, on Internet channels with virtual distribution (and by) CDs, DVDs and iPods, and on television and cinema screens." The implied message here is very clear: God hates the Blu-ray.
Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic
Should we have more religion in MMOs?I'm not talking about the Priests and Paladins we see in World of Warcraft, Everquest 2 and probably lots of other games I haven't played. Religion for character classes like these is more often than not a game mechanic, something which is used to explain the source of their powers. Divine Magic is a term which is frequently used to explain a player or character's ability to cast spells. It's a catch-all term, attributing magical and mystical abilities to ill-defined deities and otherwordly beings watching over the game-world. Usually benevolent, these beings empower their followers, enabling them to carry out miraculous feats. Probably deliberately, religion has remained generally fuzzy and ill-defined in MMOs. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Religious debate in the real world is a sure-fire way to incite some flames, and it's no wonder that games developers have been keen to shy away from it thus far.
Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic pt. 2
If developers chose to extend similar mechanics to affect players, you might find yourself being penalised for being in possession of 'forbidden' materials, whatever they may be. Mechanics might be in place to reflect how devout your character was, meaning you were actively prevented from taking certain actions at a certain time, reflecting any holidays or religious observations your character made. Imagine a Paladin who was actually prevented from ganking lowbies because it was contrary to his faith? Shocker. More blue-sky thinking, I know. Putting aside for now the idea of fake religions, what about allowing real-life religions into games?
Ask a Lore Nerd: Things that aren't Deathwing
Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, the column that answers your questions about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe. Click the Comments link below (or e-mail us!), ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer your question in a future installmentCowbane asked...Is there a Heaven or Hell in any Warcraft lore? Or is the swirly clouds when you die about it.That's a good question, and my answer isn't going to be very clear, because Warcraft itself isn't clear on it. Warcraft used to be based much more heavily on Christian concepts. There was a Heaven and there was a Hell, there was God and Angels and all that jazz. It's much more vague and nebulous now. It seems that the Twisting Nether is the current concept of Hell, but that might just mean it's a really bad place and not somewhere that sinful dead people automatically go. I have no idea if there is still a Heaven, but the Priest quest for Benediction/Anathema has you escorting souls of Stratholme's dead to the afterlife. So do they exist? Probably, yes. It is suggested that they definitely do exist. What are they like, exactly? We don't know.
E308: DS Fanboy plays God with Populous DS
It's been a very long time since I played Populous. In fact, the only version I ever got to play was the SNES port (the game first released on the PC, Atari ST-1 and Amiga) back in the day. But, I did play that port quite a bit in my youth, so seeing the game hit the DS is very exciting to me. Populous DS very much feels like the game of old, but in truth is nothing like the SNES title in both presentation and gameplay.%Gallery-11987%
E308: Interview reveals name of new AoC dungeon
At E3, MMO bloggers Keen and Graev caught up with Funcom Product Manager and all-around Age of Conan-spinster Erling Ellingsen. The Vault Network-hosted interview covers a lot of the same ground that we went over in our own talk with Ellingson, but there was one extra bit that we thought was worth mentioning. We know you don't want to miss a thing, so here it is!Ellingsen mentioned that a new dungeon instance called "House of Crom." He didn't give any information about it apart from the name, although Keen's prose suggested that he was unusually excited about it. We'd like to think that this House of Crom is, in fact, the actual house of the deity Crom, atop a monstrous mountain.We also find it fun to imagine that the name of that dungeon is basically a curse phrase. Crom's name is rarely invoked except in cursing and swearing in Howard's Conan novels. You don't want to attract Crom's attention, you know. He might kick your pathetic mortal ass.
