Michael Mann
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'Blackhat' bores, but at least gets hacking right
What is it about hackers that invariably stumps Hollywood? Even when filmmakers get the details right, as Michael Mann does with Blackhat, his moody exploration of cyberterrorism, they often stumble when it comes to making us actually care about what's happening on screen. There are rare counterexamples, like The Social Network, which manages to make the founding of Facebook visually and narratively compelling. But, for the most part, films that center on characters pecking away at keyboards are either campy, like Swordfish, or just plain boring, like The Net. And boy, Blackhat is such a snoozefest that I wish it had the cracked-out verve of seeing Hugh Jackman hack while getting a blowjob with a gun pointed at his head (Swordfish is crazy, folks).
SOE Live 2014: More on Landmark's islands and combat
I think there's a consensus that you can never get too much information about Landmark, and the devs at SOE Live certainly delivered more juicy details about the game's islands and its upcoming combat system. For instance, did you know that Franchise Director Dave Georgeson revealed this little fun fact for RP: All the player characters in Landmark are actually from somewhere else and were just placed on these islands. How or why, Georgeson didn't say! We've got a slew of other tidbits for you here, everything from island rulesets to the use of grappling hooks in PvP to more info on the game master system. And that's just the beginning!
EQ Next roundtable covers combat in Landmark; Landmark arrives on Steam
One feature that many Landmark followers are watching for is combat, and the 35th EQ Next Round Table Response addresses just that. In the video, Lead Systems Designer Michael Mann and Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani discuss the difference between the class-based combat of EQN and the sandbox combat of Landmark. In the latter, all players are adventurers, so instead of combat abilities being determined by class, they will be dictated by what is equipped. Focusing on versatility, players will be able to switch between weapons during combat to access the various abilities. The number of weapons available to players will increase over time; a small subset will release first, but more will be added based on player feedback. And yes, there will be magic! How do movement tools play into the combat scene? Players can utilized grappling hooks as a means to gain distance quickly and then use ranged abilities. There will also be abilities that trigger from other movement types, such as dashing and dodging. Hear about all these details in the video below. [Update: In other Landmark news, SOE has just announced that Landmark is now on Steam! Dave Georgeson has stated on Twitter that SOE is not dealing in Steam keys for existing users right now; you'll have to use the old "add game" trick.]
Landmark's devs on crafting and item upgrading
SOE Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani and Lead Systems Designer Michael Mann present this week's Landmark roundtable video, this time focusing on one of the more detailed components of the sandbox's crafting system: item upgrading, which beat out reinforcing, imbuing, and refining among roundtable voters as the system most worthy of prioritization. Mann explains that item upgrading is intended to reduce the demoralizing effects of RNG; eventually, all crafted items will be created as green-quality items that are upgrade-able depending on player skill and statted according to player direction via relics. Dariani and Mann also hint that Landmark and EverQuest Next will share the same crafting-related back-end systems and that Landmark's crafting will ultimately "flavor" the crafting system in EQN. The full roundtable video is below.
Landmark video diary hints at the Pulverizer, new harvesting tools
It's time for another EverQuest Next Landmark video dev diary. Your host is EQNL lead systems designer Michael Mann, and he's a got a lot to say about harvesting tools. He enlists a bit of help from lead character artist Kacey Helms, who takes viewers on a journey from in-game axe concept to finished in-game axe model. Next up is lead animator Aaron Carlson, who shows off mining animations, followed by VFX artist Lisa Charriere, who explains what SOE's thinking in terms of particle effects. Finally, we're treated to a sneak peak of the Pulverizer, which is a new tunneling tool currently in the works. Click past the cut for the full video!
Videos produce EQN Landmark crafting details
SOE has finally dished out more details about EverQuest Next Landmark's crafting system with two new videos. In the first, Lead System Designer Michael Mann spends over four minutes telling (and showing) players where they can craft, what they can craft, and how to craft. The second video gives a quick demo of the saw table crafting station. While we already knew that crafting would take place at communal crafting stations in hubs throughout the world, Mann revealed a new type that is randomly spawned in the world: altars. Altars, which create better and even unique items, are only found by exploring and will disappear after use. All players start with a small list of recipes covering beginning tools and decorations, but the bulk of recipes will need to be discovered or crafted. The crafting process has three variations: items that activate and have no variation (like potions), cosmetic items that have different appearances (like props and clothing), and items with stats (tools and such). Items with stats will utilize a relic system to increase the stats. Check out all the juicy details in the clips below.
Norrathian Notebook: EverQuest Next Round Table roundup, round three
Quick on the heels of our second Round Table roundup for EverQuest Next and EQN Landmark comes the third, filled with the next bushel of questions! In these (lucky) seven queries, devs asked players to give their opinions on starter zones, modding the UI, length of the day and night cycle, grouping, preferred Landmark building styles, and the role of NPC merchants. And of course, devs also offered their personal opinions on these topics. Did you participate in all the polls the first time through? If not, we've got them all right here for you. Go ahead and join in the discussions; it is never too late to voice your opinions! You never know when your comment might be the one that turns the tide of thinking or offers a new solution no one had considered before.
The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest Next roundtable roundup, take two
Back in September, The Tattered Notebook gathered together the first 10 roundtable questions that EverQuest Next and EQN Landmark devs posed to fans, with their accompanying community thoughts, developer opinions, and video clip answers. However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. The Round Table discussions were not just an introductory fad; they are a permanent part of the development process. As such, new polls are put up every week for fans to vote on and to post their own feedback and thoughts about on the forum. So now that a couple of months have passed, it's time to round up the next wave of questions in one central location, focusing this time on the six questions with dev responses. Maybe there is a query or two that you missed as the weeks rolled by, or maybe you just want to see what direction the community is leaning. Got some strong opinions about death penalties or fast travel in EverQuest Next? What about in-game holidays? This is definitely the time to share them!
Oliver Stone, Michael Mann and Baz Luhrmann extoll the virtues of Blu-ray, Stone suggests stocking up (video)
Panasonic took a break from its usual CES business this afternoon to host the inaugural directors' panel at the show (in conjunction with 20th Century Fox), where the unexpected trio of Oliver Stone, Michael Mann and Baz Luhrmann showed up to talk about technology in Hollywood, and Blu-ray in particular. As you might expect, the general theme was that Blu-ray is great, but the directors certainly weren't shy to make their opinions known. While Mann said that Blu-ray would be the "premier format for six, seven or eight years," for instance, he also took a moment to reminisce about the photochemical process used on Last of the Mohicans, which he notes still can't be fully replicated on Blu-ray. Luhrmann also talked at length about the great colors Blu-ray allows, and stated simply that "it's better," before picking a fight with a noisy booth next door. Oliver Stone was unsurprisingly the most opinionated, however, and lamented the fact that Blu-ray will be "last hardware" in the face of digital distribution. He even suggested that people should "be different, go against the grain" and collect Blu-rays, which he says will be very valuable by 2050 or so in much the way comics and baseball cards are today. On a more general note, Stone also said that watching kids try to watch a movie on a computer screen and multitask so much these days is "very depressing to me" and that, in a way, "we are the last of the Mohicans." Richard Lawler contributed to this report. Update: Now with video! Check it out after the break to hear their words directly. %Gallery-113321%
Gearbox gives up on Heat, says IP is up for grabs ... kinda
Ever since Heat's 1995 cinematic debut, aggression-soaked psychos (like ourselves) have been clamoring for a game adaptation of the crime drama. Gearbox Software prez Randy Pitchford agreed as well, optioning the rights to develop a game back in the mid-oughts. Fast forward to 2009, and GameSpot drops the hammer on him during a Borderlands press tour. "So what is the current status of the Heat game?" In so many words: Kaput. "In a nutshell, we're nowhere," Pitchford said. And it's not for a lack of trying, as "filmmakers, game makers, and publishing partners" are all still apparently on board. He says, more or less, it's a matter of time -- or lack thereof. Due to time constraints, Pitchford says that his studio won't be keeping the rights to the game adaptation of Heat any longer. "We're not keeping the IP locked down anymore ... if somebody else were in a spot where they could do it, and everybody was comfortable with that, then conceivably that could happen." So, how about it, aggression-soaked entrepreneurs? Hmmm?
