modifications
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Bethesda paves the way for 'Fallout 4' mods on PlayStation 4
Almost a year after Fallout 4 hit store shelves (and following some consternation from Sony), mod support is finally available for the game's PlayStation 4 version -- thanks to an update to the game's Creation Kit mod toolset*. Now remember, this doesn't mean you replace the towering Deathclaw enemies with "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as unlike the Xbox One version, the one on PS4 only plays nicely with mods created from pre-existing game assets. A post on Bethesda.net reminds as much, saying that these mods are plugins only, and that no archives are permitted. Is that going to limit your creativity? Pop down in the comments and let us know. * A previous version of this post wrongly stated that mods were already available. It has been updated to reflect that correction.
Lord of the Rings Online fans clean up old models
Lord of the Rings Online has been running for quite a while, and while it's not an ugly game its graphics are getting a bit long in the tooth. That's no one's fault, really, just the march of time making itself known. One fan has taken up the challenge of seeing what can be done with a bit of adjustment and retexturing, and the results are available on Reddit for fans to admire. The "new" models all have the same technical specifications as the models currently in the game, but have simply been adjusted and had their textures improved. Currently five of the models have been done -- male and female elves, male and female hobbits, and female humans. You can browse through to see how the updated geometry looks, although there's no way to put these models in the game at the moment. [Thanks to Emilia for the tip!]
The Elder Scrolls Online has been given (very) unofficial Oculus Rift support
If you're looking forward to playing The Elder Scrolls Online but want to really feel that you're in the game, your options are a bit limited. Odds are you don't want someone standing by to hack at your torso with an edged weapon during on-screen combat, for instance. But if you've got an Oculus Rift and want the full VR experience, that might be a bit more doable after all; a fan has hammered together unofficial support for the headset. The video contained past the break shows about five minutes of footage -- nothing novel, but more than enough to get a sense of the game running on the Rift's paired screens. The fan in question is aware that this is breaking the terms of his testing agreement; however, he hopes that this will convince ZeniMax Online to add in native Oculus support before the game goes live. If you want a peek at what it looks like, feel free to check out the video past the break.
EverQuest Next to feature a moddable UI
We're going to go ahead and just spoil the outcome of the most recent EverQuest Next roundtable discussion because Lead UI Designer Jake Sones answers the central question within seconds of the video's start. Yes, EverQuest Next will have a modifiable UI, and while EverQuest Next Landmark won't have the option at launch, it will be built to allow it in the future. Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani still has more questions to ask Mr. Sones over the video's full running time, but they're about not the if but the how. Sones explains that the team is hoping to build the best possible UI for the game right out of the box, but everyone's idea of what is best will be different. So in addition to building a solid core UI, the developers need to leave space for players to modify the interface according to their needs. Take a look at the full video past the cut for more views on the overall process of making a modifiable interface at launch.
StarCraft Universe reaches its funding goal on Kickstarter
There are a lot of people who would very much like to see an MMO in the StarCraft universe. StarCraft Universe isn't quite the same thing, but it manages to turn StarCraft II into something very close to an MMO. And with just one day left to go on its Kickstarter project, it has hit its funding goal, ensuring that StarCraft II players can turn the real-time strategy game into a third-person MMO-style game at will. So how much does the mod actually contain? Eight classes, vehicle gameplay, customized models, a variety of boss encounters tuned for various difficulties, in-game strategy databases, a fully voiced plotline, and crafting mechanics. There are also single-player and multiplayer components for anyone who wants to experience the game solo, and the entire project can be experienced for free without a need to buy StarCraft II. If you're interested, there's still some time left to toss money into the Kickstarter and pick up a few extra rewards.
War Thunder video highlights planes and mods of update 1.3
'The friendly skies' it is not; not with historical warplanes waging battle across it. And with the new update 1.3, the airways in War Thunder just got a little meaner. This latest update of the dogfight-infused game will offer pilots more customization options for their planes, from both new planes (seven American, seven Russian, and one British) to more long-planned modifications. These modifications are divided into four ascending stages, each one allowing players to improve weaponry, engine performance, and durability. Higher stages are unlocked only after a requisite number of mods are purchased from the previous level. What about pilots who have already modified their planes? Devs assure that nothing will be lost -- all previously installed mods will be automatically installed in the new update. Watch the new planes in action in the update video after the break, and read up on all the upcoming changes in the dev diary and patch notes on the official site. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
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 mod is going for the hobo appeal
For all DayZ fans who feel that the inclusion of powerful weapons and relatively plentiful supply caches don't accurately portray their personal vision for a horrible post-apocalyptic zombie world, then a new mod in the making might do the trick. Called DayZ 2017, the mod seeks to progress the game world forward five years to a time when everything's a lot harder to come by. Modder Luke Hinds explained his reasoning on the DayZ 2017 website: "I now want to go back to basics and really focus on what made Rocket's mod really tick with players, and that was scarcity and threat. The main changes will be taking out most loot and making what's left very rare." Hinds cites films such as The Book of Eli and The Road as inspiration. He created "hobo-like" characters who look far more worn-down and a combat that slants more toward melee than ranged. DayZ 2017 hopefully will arrive by the end of the year. Recently, the makers of DayZ cracked down on a different mod that sought to monetize the game through a bounty system.
DayZ cracks down on 'Bounty' mod
You'd be hard-pressed to find a dedicated DayZ player who doesn't think the game's already exciting enough. Even so, there is a trio of gamers who have decided that the hardcore zombie survival mod needs some spicing up. Hence, the creation of a real-money version of the game called DayZ Bounty. DayZ Bounty requires players to pay per life but offers income in return if the gamer is good enough to take out NPCs and other humans. Co-creator James Ortiz said that it made the game far more interesting: "We figured that if people had a value on their life... there'd be something to fear besides the zombies." Unfortunately for the Bounty team, DayZ's creators are calling for an end to the mod. A spokeperson for the development team said that Bounty "undermined" the title, and asked for a cessation of the project. "It changes the focus of DayZ from being a creative, enjoyable, gritty gaming experience to a game that is based almost solely on financial gain," the spokesperson explained, "and that is not something we want to be associated with."
DayZ development screenshots released
The development as DayZ as a standalone title is rolling ever forward. To give fans a hint of the sort of progress being made, the development team shared a few work in progress screenshots of some interiors in the game. The art team's recent focus (as you might've guessed from the content of the screenshots) has been on going through and giving each building an interior. Moving forward, the developers will be working on balancing complexity within cities and an interest in scavenging opportunities with a need for greatly increased performance.%Gallery-168382%
DayZ receiving a standalone version before the year is out
Are you interested in zombie survivalist fantasies but not interested in buying an unrelated first-person shooter? DayZ has already garnered a fan following despite being a mod for an existing game, but a standalone version of the game is in the works for release before the end of the year. Creator Dean Hall has stated that in terms of what the team wants to accomplish (some of which was outlined in our interview on the game), the alpha version absolutely has to be out by the end of the year. Hill has not named an exact price, but he has made it clear that the standalone version will be cheap. He's also made a point of stating several of his longer-term plans for the standalone version, including the spread of diseases, makeshift first-aid remedies, and the eventual inclusion of vehicles. All of it is very ambitious, but that's part of the reason that the team is dead-set on having the standalone game out before the end of December.
Atari 2600s get PC innards, 22,857 times more processing power
Atari games redesigned in HTML 5 may bring back a flood of nostalgia, but they leave out a key part of the gaming experience: the classic hardware. Hard Drives Northwest filled that void by gutting a limited number of authentic Atari 2600s and stuffing them with modern PC components. Packing a Core i7 3.4GHz processor, the retro console now boasts 22,857 times more processing power than it did in its heyday, according to Microsoft's calculations -- more than enough oomph to handle the recent remakes. Other internals include 8GB of RAM, a 120GB SSD and a Radeon HD 6570 graphics card with 1GB of video memory. With support for USB 3.0 and 2.0, eSATA, DisplayPort, DVI and HDMI, the system is well stocked on the connectivity front. Finally, the signature of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell acts as the cherry atop the faux wood grain-toting package. While the souped-up machines aren't up for sale, a pair of them are slated for a giveaway. Glamour shots and the full set of specs await you at the source.
Fallen Earth unveils new weapons and bosses in time for its third anniversary [Updated]
Anniversary gifts require careful thought, but Fallen Earth seems to know just what its players want. So patch 2.5 adds three powerful new weapons for players to use across the wastelands as well as three new bosses that carry required components for those weapons. It's not really the traditional gift for a three-year anniversary, but some traditions are going to go out the window when the entire world is a ravaged wasteland dominated by crazed survivalists. The three G.O.R.E weapons each have three tiers and can be upgraded, although the process is greatly enhanced by players who find G.O.R.E. enhancements. Not coincidentally, these can be found on the three new bosses added with the patch. The full patch notes also include a few art fixes and minor quality-of-life improvements, the sort of things that go very nicely with your new anniversary guns. [Update: The team has updated the patch notes to clarify that not all of the new weapon components can be purchased through the cash shop. Specifically, "all components that are required to build the weapons are earned in-game using resource harvesters, killing boss mobs, and from high-level merchants (for in-game currency only)." Players may purchase optional G.O.R.E. enhancements and new boss baits through the cash shop, although both of these drop from monsters as well.] %Gallery-48606%
WildStar Wednesday discusses the importance of items
WildStar's developer dispatches all have a theme: "Play the way you enjoy playing." That's borne out in the latest installment of WildStar Wednesday, in which Economy team leader Jeremy Wood discusses the ins and outs of the game's reward system. Wood explains that his team is responsible for making sure that players have the rewards needed to keep them playing, and in a game focused so heavily on differing player paths, that can be a tall order. WildStar will allow players a hefty amount of customization for items, including a dye system and modifications to existing equipment. Players can also expect to receive rewards of attractive and useful gear through every path rather than to be limited to one or two endgame pursuits. Even once you reach the top tier of items, there won't be a single "best" piece; the game will offer several different items for different playstyles. Take a look at the full article to get a broader picture of what the game will offer players to keep them invested to the endgame and beyond.
SRK contest produces a 26-button Starcraft II arcade controller, probably won't stop Zerg rushes (video)
Almost as a dare, Shoryuken (SRK) challenged its fans to produce a fighting game-style controller for Starcraft II. Mauricio Romano took them up on that contest and won with a surprisingly polished arcade stick of his own. Its cornerstone is a heavily modified Ultrastik joystick that's turned into an on-controller, two-button mouse. You didn't think a PC gamer would cling to a plain joystick, did you? In the process, the usual 101 keys of a typical keyboard have been pared down to a set of 26 buttons most relevant for Blizzard's real-time strategy epic. Packaged up in a single, polished USB peripheral, the one-off prototype's design is good enough to imagine a Major League Gaming pro taking it out on the road. We'd put that idea on ice for now, though: as Mauricio shows in the video below, the learning curve is steep enough that most players won't be fending off diamond-league marine and zergling blitzes anytime soon.
CyanogenMod plans a quick leap to Jelly Bean for version 10, existing devices likely to tag along
Whenever there's a new version of Android, Steve Kondik and the CyanogenMod team tend to swing into action almost immediately with plans for a major revision of the fan-favorite platform overhaul. For Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, that swing will be faster than ever. The crew's early looks suggest that there will only be a few minor tweaks needed to merge Google's latest with the custom Android code, making CyanogenMod 10 a relative snap to produce. The update's release is still very much up in the air without the Android Open Source Project code available to modify; that said, device compatibility also isn't expected to be an obstacle. Any device that can run CyanogenMod 9 should run version 10 when it's released. As long as we're willing to wait for a stable 9.0 to emerge first, there are few barriers to making Jelly Bean that much sweeter.
CyanogenMod's Steve Kondik and crew talk Android hacking in Google I/O video
If you've ever slapped a CyanogenMod ROM on your Android phone instead of waiting months or longer for an official update, you may have wondered who was behind it and how they did it. Well, CM founder Steve Kondik spilled the beans to developers at Google's I/O conference, and the first half of that presentation is now up on YouTube. It not only provides the modders' MO, but also reveals a few things about the green robot itself. The second half of the presentation will be coming soon as well, but this one is must-watch territory for tinkerers -- go past the break to check it out.
CyanogenMod nightlies reach Samsung Galaxy S III, Nature UX critics unite
Let's say you're a fan of the quad-core processor and giant screen of the international Galaxy S III, but Samsung's Nature UX just leaves you feeling cold. Thankfully, the first CyanogenMod 9 nightly builds have arrived to warm you up. They both bring the OS closer to the official Android Open Source Project version while adding the extras that we've seen before, such as theme support, an audio equalizer and gesture shortcuts on the lock screen. Nightlies are well away from becoming polished releases, so don't be surprised if your Galaxy S III goes awry -- the team is already advising starting from a completely blank slate. But if that desire to get more control over the OS is still strong enough to throw at least a slight amount of caution to the wind, the source will provide all the downloads and details needed to give Samsung's interface the boot.
Star Wars: The Old Republic answers questions on companions and modifications
Companions are one of the main features of Star Wars: The Old Republic, but they're also sometimes very limiting. Depending on your class and spec, you can find yourself with only one or two companions with useful abilities. But that's partly by design; according to the latest community Q&A, the distinctiveness of companions is both a result of their abilities and their personalities. The team has no plans for making companions more interchangeable, at least for the moment. If you were hoping for better news, don't fret, as the other answers are a fair bit more positive. The technical hurdles preventing some classes from having a modifiable offhand are being looked into, and the answers also delve into the details of adding a new augment slot to existing modifiable items. There's also a discussion of the different rates of gear acquisition for players on the PvE and PvP progress tracks, along with a variety of other answers for players of several stripes.
Waging WAR: Guide to addons
This week in WagingWAR Greg takes a look at the basic interface offered in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Well, he said he would take a look, but then he mumbled something about needing a blindfold first. Instead, he writes about all the great ways it can be changed via third-party add-ons and shows us why WAR's modding community really is just the bee's knees. Let's be honest with ourselves right off the bat and agree that the WAR default interface, although functional, is lackluster in some respects. That's not to say that the developers of WAR made a disastrous UI for us to play with; in fact, the truth is quite the opposite. The standard UI is functional, genre-standard, and provides all the necessary information at a glance. It gets the job done. It also offers a layout editor that allows for simple, easy customization. But sometimes, someone else's idea for a UI element is simply better. Thankfully, WAR supports the Lua programming language and enjoys a strong and talented modding community. Continue reading for the lowdown on what I consider to be the best of the best of what WAR's mod community has to offer as of patch 1.4.
