modding
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Intel NUC case competition showcases creative modding in miniature
Intel's latest NUC is a wee marvel of PC tech, but the design of its case calls to mind, well, every other fanless PC we've ever seen. To its credit, though, the chip giant is sponsoring a case modding competition through enthusiast site Bit-Tech to liven things up. The finalists have definitely taken a 180 degree tack design-wise, with one version resembling a bizarre retro projector (complete with a screen), and another that looks like the love child of a wiffle ball and a pumpkin. All four entries are at the source, where you can help pick the winner with your own vote.
The Daily Grind: Do you like a simple, complex, or customizable UI?
Is it just me, or do MMO interfaces seem as though they're slimming down as of late? The bloated HUDs of the past are giving away to streamlined, almost minimalistic on-screen elements. Maybe that's just because I've been playing a lot of Guild Wars 2 as of late. Perhaps. But that's not really today's topic, now is it? I'm curious how you like your UI. Are you all about this sort of simple, streamlined setup? Do you adore a really complex interface that gives you scads of actions and information? Or do you just prefer it when a game allows you to modify it to your heart's content? 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!
Don't miss LeVar Burton, Ben Heck, Adafruit and Planetary Resources at Expand NY!
We're getting more and more excited watching the Expand NY agenda come together. We've already announced our first set of speakers (by which we mean people on stage, not those kind of speakers) including legendary game designer Peter Molyneux, Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky, io9 editor-in-chief Annalee Newitz and the man responsible for clogging the Internet's tubes with funny cats: Ben Huh. But wait, there's more! Joining us at Javits Center this November will be: LeVar Burton, Actor, Director, Educator, co-founder of RRKidz Chris Lewicki, President and Chief Engineer, Planetary Resources, Inc. Becky Stern, Director of Wearable Electronics, Adafruit Industries Ben Heck, Master Modder on element14's The Ben Heck Show
StarCraft Universe appeals to Kickstarter audience for help
Remember StarCraft Universe, the fan-made mod that turned the RTS into an MMO? The project is still going strong after two years, but its development team is in dire need of funds to push it over the hill and into open beta testing. The solution? Kickstarter, of course. Upheaval Arts hopes to raise $80,000 or more to finish the first act of the game and get it into public testing. Currently there are two races in the game (Terran and Protoss), although with stretch goals the Zerg are a possibility. The team has some respectable names attached to the project, including Composer David Orr and voice actors Danielle McRae and Eric Dieter. StarCraft Universe will require Battle.net to play and will be completely free to all. If you're concerned about Blizzard finally lowering the boom on this mod, well, don't. The team says that it's gotten the studio's approval: "While Blizzard is not directly affiliated with this project's production, we do communicate with them to submit bug reports and make technical requests. They have given their blessing/permission for us to launch this Kickstarter, and they are supporting our efforts by featuring SCU as an arcade highlight."
Hall considering PS4 version of DayZ
How would a PlayStation 4 version of DayZ grab you? Mod creator Dean Hall is apparently considering it according to a blurb at Eurogamer. Hall outlines the differences between publishing on Sony's console vs. Microsoft's, the latter of which requires a hefty fee for each update as well as a pre-existing publisher relationship. Hall tells Eurogamer that he's definitely interested in both platforms but his focus is currently on the standalone PC version of his celebrated Arma 2 mod. "That's definitely something we'd look at, but we have to do the PC version first. Once we get the alpha out, that's a good time for us to run it up on a [PS4] dev kit and see what happens," he explained.
The Daily Grind: Do you like moddable MMORPGs?
WildStar's announcement this week that closed beta players have already started modding the game's UI to their personal preferences got me wondering once again about whether MMO gamers have been influenced by games like World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic when it comes to acceptance of modding. As recently as last November, when SOE outlawed all mods in PlanetSide 2 -- including benign mods that enhanced graphics and FPS -- our commenters seemed split over whether mods were a good thing. One, who specifically singled out Diablo III and Guild Wars 2 as key offenders, argued that developers' "play it how we made it because we know best" attitude stifles player freedom. Another wrote that on the contrary, Guild Wars 2's anti-mod approach was the right one; he liked that everyone is made to play with the same interface because "the fact [that] you almost need different UIs and addons for endgame in WoW" is a turn off. So let's take this topic's current temperature: Do you like moddable MMORPGs? Why or why not? 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 Daily Grind: How do you feel about gear modding?
WildStar's recent dev diary explaining its gear modding system made me realize how we're seeing more and more of this sort of thing recently. Defiance allows you to trick out its guns, RIFT introduced a new type of moddable gear in Storm Legion, SWTOR has custom gear that does the trick, Allods Online just added a similar system, and so on. I generally like gear modding as long as it doesn't stray too far into the realm of the obtuse and complex. It's fun to tweak that sword or pulse rifle to become the weapon you've always wanted, and there's a thrifty aspect to keeping that good-looking piece of armor up-to-date instead of just pitching it for the latest and greatest. How do you feel about gear modding? Should it be a staple of all MMOs? How can it be done wrong and how can it be done oh-so-right? 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!
'Project Unity' is 15 fully-functional consoles in one giant box
Constructed by evil genius/mad scientist/hardware hacker Bacteria, Project Unity is a single, unified gaming console that can play Sega Master System, Neo Geo MVS, GameCube, Dreamcast, Saturn, Intellivision, Colecovision, Atari 7800, Turbografx 16, PS1/PS2, Mega Drive, NES, Super NES, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64 and Amstrad GX4000 games.Project Unity's most impressive feature, besides the fact that it works, is that it was constructed entirely out of authentic hardware and does not make use of emulators or combo units like the FC Twin. It also manages to use a single power supply, video output and custom-built controller, regardless of the system selected.Jump to 09:30 in the video above for a demonstration of this behemoth in action, including the repurposed NES cartridges that contain different circuit boards for each controller type, or start from the beginning for some deliciously chaotic wiring shots.
WildStar explains gear modding
For those who love cracking open a good piece of gear to fiddle and fine-tune the insides, then WildStar is proud to present the so-called Circuit Board Crafting System. A new dev blog over at Carbine Studios explains how gear modding (and later, crafting) will take place on a special CBC interface that breaks down the item into connected components. Each piece of gear has several slots for microchips and a power budget that is used to limit what can be put into the item. These microchips come in different varieties, from power amplifiers to attribute boosters to special ability chips. Many, but not all, microchips can be extracted from the gear to put somewhere else or to mod directly. However, the team is preparing a number of random stat and locked microchips that will make creating the perfect item a challenging proposition. The team wants players to have to make "really interesting decisions" in their gear modding, promising more information later on as to how CBC will work with crafting.
Modding tools released for Torchlight II
If you're a Torchlight II fan, you've got GUTS now. As does the rest of the community. The game's latest patch doesn't just add new armor sets, pets, and tilesets, it also adds the game's primary modding tool known as GUTS. And this isn't just a halfhearted implementation, as the modding functionality extends through the game to the very core. Playing the game through Steam? It's integrated through Steam Workshop. Want to play a multiplayer game with your favorite mod? There's full multiplayer support and the ability to see which mods are enabled in a given game. Want to start modding but have no idea where to start? There's a whole wiki filled with documentation on how to get started. Don't own the game but love the idea of modding a multiplayer game? That's cool, too. The game is on sale until April 8th for $9.99 to celebrate the release of the modding tools. So if this sort of thing tickles your fancy, you've got almost no reason not to check it out.
DayZ's zombies are getting smarter -- and hungrier
Let us ask you a serious question: Do you like to read your dev blogs or watch them? Thanks to the Bohemia Interactive team, you can do both today! The devs have posted an article covering DayZ standalone's progress as well as a 21-minute video highlighting game footage. The team's been focusing on the inventory system, a non-traditional crafting system, zombie pathfinding, security improvements, a more complex health system, map expansion, and more sensible loot. Lead Developer Rocket urges patience as the team works to complete the standalone version: "We know that you want it released, and we know you want to know when this will be -- but we're 100% committed to making this a great game, and that means we are making sure to do things properly." You can watch the full dev diary video after the jump.
DayZ now on Steam, Hall goes behind the scenes for new mocap
It's time for another DayZ dev blog, and this time the camera follows mod guru Dean "Rocket" Hall as he goes behind the scenes at Bohemia Interactive's motion capture facility. The occasion is an excuse to talk up the new zombie animations in store for the mod, and Hall himself even gets into act, donning a mocap suit and stutter-stepping across a greenscreen stage environment. DayZ is now available directly through Steam, provided you have Arma 2: Combined Operations installed already. Click past the cut for the full video blog.
Mahogany art deco 'heater' houses Intel Ivy Bridge fanless home theater PC
If you have certain interior design tastes, some types of PC case mods may not quite suit your decor. That's where Jeffrey Stephenson comes in, this time with a fanless home theater PC featuring an art-deco style Mahogany shell that slides right over the aluminum chassis. Inside, there's an Intel Core i3-3225 processor running Windows 8 with 8GB RAM, an Intel Cherryville SSD, 150W Pico PSU and Silverstone HE02 passive heatsink. While able to handily perform most media chores (and generate a little heat!), it stays in keeping with his other tasteful, retro designs for those of you who eschew Thermaltake Level 10-type PC cases. Or, almost all of you, anyway.
Slap a rocket on a pig: WildStar's modding and PGC community
At January's WildStar press event, I had the opportunity to chat with several of Carbine's developers about something near and dear to my heart: modding. During my personal demo, Jeremy Gaffney remarked offhandedly -- twice! -- that people don't really want to play the UI; they want to play the game. I know that he's right about some people, and I'm glad game developers are devoting resources toward designing a seamless blend of UI and gameplay that makes actually healing party members as fun or more fun than playing Grid-style healer whackamole. But whackamole or not, I do want to play the UI. I want to tinker. Fortunately, WildStar intends to accommodate me in a huge way. Read on for the scoop on WildStar's planned modding tools, player councils, and player-generated content.
Initial DayZ video blog shows new stand-alone footage
A lot of stuff has been happening in the world of DayZ here lately, and creator Dean "Rocket" Hall has uploaded a fresh video dev blog to bring all of you zombie sandbox survival sim fans up to speed. Hall is joined by production assistant Matt Lightfoot, and the duo have a quite a lot to talk about over the course of the dev blog's 15-minute running time. Topics include major map improvements, the new clothing system, a streamlined UI, and the newfangled ability to spawn loot inside buildings. See for yourself after the break.
MMO Burnout: Two weeks in the valley with Multi Theft Auto
OK, you know that guy who's always going on about how bloody awesome it would be if someone ever made a working multiplayer mod for Skyrim? If you don't know him, well, you do now, because he's me. Back before I was bitten in earnest by the MMO bug, I spent quite a lot of time messing with private servers of both the Jedi Academy and Neverwinter Nights persuasions. And when I say "messing with," I don't mean I logged into them, I mean I hosted them, made mods and skins for them, and generally wasted significant portions of my youth serving as a GM. Needless to say, it was a blast, and the thought of having that experience again in a larger game world is just short of orgasmic. Alas, no one has made much of a multiplayer Skyrim mod yet, and while private servers for NWN and Neverwinter Nights 2 are still running and serving their niche communities quite capably, those are topics for another edition of MMO Burnout. I'd like to tell you about something similar that I've been playing lately, though. It's called Multi Theft Auto. %Gallery-177696%
Ben Heck mods midi controller into guitar enclosure, scores pinball soundtrack in return
Love pinball? So does professional modder Ben Heck -- he's building a ghost hunt-themed pinball machine, and needs it to sound just right. Luckily, a local musician is happy to help, provided Heck can rejigger his midi controller into a guitar. Challenge accepted. With the help of his musician friend, Heck spends the first episode of a two-part Ben Heck Show disassembling the instrument, desoldering its components and reassembling them in the desired pattern -- stitching together a few undersized circuit boards along the way. Ben lays out the key pattern too, which will dictate how large the axe's case will need to be. It's classic hardware modding, and a darn fine break to the deluge of CES news. Check out the first episode in the series after the break.
Pi-to-Go: a Raspberry Pi, screen and keyboard stuffed into a 3D-printed case
Gaming consoles are the usual candidates to go under a screwdriver for miniaturization into portable packages, but Nathan Morgan set out to do something different: transform the hacker-friendly Raspberry Pi into a mobile rig. Thus, the Pi-to-Go was born. The portable's custom 3D-printed case packs a model B revision 1 Raspberry Pi, a 640 x 480 LCD screen and a QWERTY Keyboard with a built-in touchpad. Other internals include a Samsung-made 64GB SSD (with a 1GB swap partition), a rechargeable battery that provides more than 10 hours of juice, a 4GB SD card and support for WiFi and Bluetooth. Morgan's even published build instructions, 3D printer files and a parts list necessary for replicating the box. Not accounting for the 3D-printed case, cobbling together your own Pi-to-Go setup should ring up at just shy of $400. For the entire build breakdown and more images of the rig, hit the bordering source link.
Red Orchestra 2 gets Steam Workshop for maps, mods
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad now uses Steam Workshop, allowing players to share custom maps and mods. Modders need to have the Red Orchestra 2 SDK, which is accessible (for those who own the game) via the Tools dropdown in their Steam libraries.Red Orchestra 2's Steam Workshop capabilities went live on Friday, and Tripwire Interactive has a wiki page for those interested in sharing their creations with the world. Check out the info pages for the SDK here and for sharing on Workshop here.
Carmack: Rage mod tools hit 'real soon' despite a year of 'poor decisions'
Rage was supposed ship with modding tools when it launched in October 2011. It didn't, but a tweet from id Software founder John Carmack suggests he hasn't forgotten the promise he made to mod fans one year ago, nor the frustration of letting them down:"BFG work pushed the Rage tools, but Real Soon Now. I hope. Sigh. I think we have made poor decisions on this all year."Doom 3 BFG Edition launched on October 16 in the US, and now id is most likely focused on the development of Doom 4. If id is still serious about pushing Doom 4 onto the Oculus Rift, those mod tools better come out mighty soon, lest we never see them at all – when prioritizing development for either a crazy futuristic headset or modding tools for a year-old lukewarm game, the choice seems to jump right out at you.
