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GDC 2011: Graeme Devine on the iPad for gaming
Veteran game developer Graeme Devine took the stage at GDC 2011 this week to talk about Apple's iPad (and by extension, the new iPad 2, of course), and called it "the best gaming machine on the planet today." He went through his own thoughts on the device, talked a little bit about how developers could use the metaphor of touch to make the best games possible, and then went through a list of what he felt were the best practices for iOS development. Devine said that the first time he held an iPad, "I felt like I was holding something from science fiction in my hands. It was different from any other experience I've had before." The iPad reverses the trend in gaming to move the screen farther away from the player, and instead puts it relatively close up and personal. Additionally, the joystick is gone, and while a lot of games depend on that virtual joystick (more on that in a bit), the iPad removes any hardware between your fingers and what's happening on screen. A finger isn't a mouse, either -- rather than selecting and then clicking, fingers on iPad screens just tap and move.
The MMO Report: Now is the winter of our discontent edition
We're not sure whether he was inspired by the recent Oscars or other recent winning theatrics, but this week we're treated to a breathtaking performance from the MMO Report's very own Casey Schreiner. Admittedly, he likely won't be picking up any golden statuettes from the Academy -- this is internet video, after all. However, we feel relatively certain that he will likely find his bag quite swollen over owing to this week's subtle combination of stellar performance and particularly well-groomed facial hair. Well, that and because this week's episode is really short. Starting off running, Casey touches on the February game update in DC Universe Online while simultaneously saving us from having to look at cherubs from the game's holiday event. After that, it's a quick jump to Runes of Magic, which is determined to make it even easier to spend tons of time wandering aimlessly in the game while telling your Facebook friends all about it. Next, it's a nod to our GDC 2011 coverage with our ArenaNet localization panel writeup and an aside about the large amount of Guild Wars hardcore Norn we got to enjoy last week. Finally, the bag returns to equally rapidly disappear once again. As always, this week's episode lurks beyond yon break -- or you can catch it on G4TV every Thursday! Until then, anon good readers; anon!
TUAW's Daily App: Infinity Blade
Odds are that you already know what Infinity Blade is, and you might already have it on your iOS devices, too. But just in case you don't, we're spotlighting one of the best iOS games of last year, which happens to be available on the App Store right now for the sale price of US$2.99 -- for this game, that's a steal. If you haven't picked up this big-budget example of how experienced developers can do iOS games right, today's your chance. The game's already received one content update, and another big update is coming soon. Even if you already have Infinity Blade, you can check out Joystiq's fine writeup of how the game was made, straight from the floor of GDC 2011. Chair Entertainment talks about how they had tons of game ideas (from a physics puzzler to a card game -- I'd like to play either of those), but eventually boiled down what worked on a platform like the iPhone to what they came up with in Infinity Blade. It's a great game at a great price, so definitely grab it as quickly as you can.
The Daily Grind: What are you hoping to hear from GDC?
This week, Massively's own Shawn & Rubi are headed out to San Francisco to check out all the sights and sounds of this year's Game Developers Conference. In fact, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the event, one that has grown from a small gathering held in someone's house into an enormous industry-wide event. There are tons of topics to look forward to, from intricate development issues to the wider ramifications of online and social gaming. Given how many varied and interesting panels, discussions and more bedeck the conference's schedule, we thought we'd ask whether there's anything in particular you're hoping to hear from this year's event. Are there any games or topics you're really craving more news about? Grab your morning cuppa wake-up beverage goodness, check out the schedule, and tell us what you're hoping to learn more about in our upcoming GDC 2011 coverage! 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!
Apple creating touch panel shortages for tablet competition?
Things tend to get messy for the competition when Apple decides to direct its vast cash reserves on "very strategic" components. Especially when Cupertino starts waving around stacks of dough in the range of $3.9 billion to $7.8 billion. For reference, just look at what Apple did to NAND supplies as the flash-based iPod rose to dominance. Today DigiTimes is reporting that Apple is occupying close to 60 percent of the global touch panel production capacity from the likes of Wintek and TPK resulting in "tight supply" for the competition. The impact on consumers, according DigiTimes' sources at upstream component makers, is that tablet PC makers are unable to ship enough product to match orders due to component shortages. The issue is especially troublesome for second-tier tablet hopefuls who must compete with the likes of HP, RIM, Motorola, HTC, Samsung, LG, Dell (everyone but Sony) for the scraps. As a result, Apple should be able to more easily meet iPad demand in 2011, according to DigiTimes, while its competitors struggle to keep up.
Samsung showcases 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED, may actually mass produce this one
For all intents and purposes, every single flexible display we've seen over the past few years has eventually been filed in the "awesome things that'll never materialize" drawer. There are exceptions to that rule, mind you, but we've largely been frustrated by how often these things pop up at trade shows and then vanish forever. Samsung Mobile Display, however, is hoping to change that. According to reports stemming from FPD International 2010, this here 4.5-incher is dangerously close to production, and given the lustworthy 800 x 480 resolution, we couldn't be more excited about the possibilities. We're told that Samsung is eschewing the traditional glass substrate in favor of a newfangled plastic version, and evidently it's a heck of a lot easier to mass produce. After all, we're still waiting for this thing, guys.
BlizzCon 2010: Diablo 3 panel covers Artisans, armor models and atmosphere
The Diablo 3 crafting sanctuary panel, much as the name suggests, did introduce a look at the new Diablo 3 item crafting system. However, it also covered quite a few interesting inside looks at the philosophy and process of the upcoming Blizzard game. As game director Jay Wilson puts it, Sanctuary is a world at war. It's been 20 years since the events of Diablo 2, in which the 3 prime evils were vanquished, and hell has been preparing for revenge ever since. The development team has been working on building that world under siege, and this panel was meant to reveal a little bit about how they've been going about doing that.
NYCC 2010: DCUO's Q&A panel and fan event
The gods of New York Comic Con smiled upon Detective Comics fans and MMO junkies alike this weekend, as DC Universe Online kicked butt and took questions at not one, but a senses-shattering two Q&A sessions on Saturday. Conventioneers enjoyed a glimpse into the character-creation process at the "Creating the Next Legend Panel," and then Sony Online Entertainment invited fans to a special Q&A event afterward. And I would not be exaggerating if I said the audience reaction was riotously positive. Executive Creative Director Jim Lee, Creative Director Chris Cao and Art Director Mark Anderson shared details and fielded dozens of questions about the DC-based MMO at both events. Discussion ranged from costume creation to endgame content to the game's recent delay to early 2011.
Hitachi's 6.6-inch / 302ppi IPS panel gets eyes-on treatment, locks eyes with iPhone 4's retina display
Perhaps our eyes are just too untrained for such tasks, but we didn't much miss the 24ppi or so difference between the iPhone 4's retina display (326 ppi) and Hitachi's 6.6-inch IPS panel (302 ppi). The CEATEC prototype panel is just gorgeous and crystal clear (as much as Shakespeare and Kanji-laden articles can be, at least). Unfortunately, we couldn't find anyone to answer our questions as to when it might hit mass production, so for now, just enjoy the view. %Gallery-104498%
GDC Online 2010: Booyah's InCrowd, or how to develop an app in four weeks
Booyah first made a big splash on the App Store with the check-in game MyTown, then they stepped over to Facebook to release a game called Nightclub City before returning to Apple's platform a little while back with a title called InCrowd. Most App Store releases are known for their short development times (usually around six months or less), but InCrowd might set a record. As Booyah's Jon Parise explained in his panel at this year's GDC Online conference, Booyah created the app in just four weeks. There were a few reasons for doing this. First and foremost, the app is designed to work in conjunction with Facebook's new Places service, and because of Booyah's success with Nightclub City, Facebook granted them early access to work on and release an app for launch day (just four weeks after development began). While Parise didn't say it directly, his speech gave the impression that Booyah just wanted to try it -- could they really take an idea and turn it into a viable App Store product and brand in just four weeks' time? That, as Parise pointed out, is just about the length of Adobe Photoshop's trial period. In fact, one of their developers downloaded and used the expensive photo editor's trial all within the time of development.
How would you change Pixel Qi's 3Qi display?
Yeah, Pixel Qi's 3Qi display is a wee bit more niche than your average superphone, but we just know a handful of you DIYers out there took the plunge on this one. Mary Lou Jepsen's pride and joy went on sale back in July, offering crafty modders the chance to swap their lackluster netbook panel for an E Ink slayer. We were personally thrilled with the results, but we still saw a few things that could've been ironed out given the time, money and technical insight. If you've also taken the leap, we're oh-so-curious to know how you would redesign the dual-mode 3Qi. Make it sharper? A higher resolution? A different size? Something else entirely? No walls allowed here -- get creative down in comments below.
ArenaNet releases images from Guild Wars 2 Designing Dynamic Events panel
New races, new lands, and talk of familiar places with a new look. The Guild Wars 2 Dynamic Events panel at PAX stirred up quite a bit of conversation and even more curiosity. What are these regions? What events are there? What is a krait obelisk for? What does The Great Oouo look like? Guild Wars 2 fans watched all the video taken by hand held cameras at the panel and viewed snapshots of the screen, trying to get a better look. If you've been dying for an up-close view of the Regrown Flame, orrian undead, and yes, even The Great Oouo, you're in luck. ArenaNet has generously provided Massively with the images used in the panel, so check out the gallery below for the newest look at Tyria of the future! %Gallery-102231%
HTC Droid Incredible nearing switch from AMOLED to SLCD?
HTC already transitioned its Desire and Nexus One units from AMOLED to Super LCD, and it looks as if the outfit may soon be doing likewise on the highly popular Droid Incredible as it struggles against a long-running AMOLED shortage. The Verizon memo you see above clearly lays out the firm's intentions, with an entirely new SKU (ADR6300VW3) expected to flush through retail channels "around the end of September." In other words, those who purchase an Incredible after the end of this month will all but definitely be guaranteed an SLCD unit. We pinged HTC to see if it wanted to deny or confirm the claims, and here's what we received: "We haven't announced any moves towards changing the Incredible display from AMOLED to SLCD." Yeah, a textbook denial. Oh, and if you're wondering whether to rush or retard your impending Incredible purchase, have a look at our Desire head-to-head here. Decisions, decisions...
Quaggan sad: A look back at the Guild Wars 2 Dynamic Events panel
At the top of my to-do list for Saturday morning at PAX was Designing Dynamic Events, a Guild Wars 2 panel with designers Eric Flannum and Colin Johanson. Talk and video of the panel have been everywhere this week, and I wanted to take a little bit of time to give my thoughts on what they did and how it was received. The panel was billed as a discussion about "how Guild Wars 2 designers create events in the dynamic, living game world and the many factors to consider when designing any kind of MMO content." It sounded interesting, but it was a ticketed event with limited attendance, which seemed strange to me. I managed to get a ticket and was even more confused when I walked into the relatively tiny room. Why such a small place for something that would certainly have drawn a huge crowd? It all became clear very soon, so follow along after the cut to hear more about my take on the new things we learned in Designing Dynamic Events.
Baldur's Gate was almost an MMO
reddit_url='http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/16/baldurs-gate-was-almost-an-mmo/' Tweet var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Baldur_s_Gate_was_almost_an_MMO_Massively'; For those of you who remember Baldur's Gate, we want you to close your eyes and imagine it as an MMO. For the time it released (the mid-90s), it quite possibly could have been the first MMO, at that. At a recent GDC Europe panel for BioWare, studio founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk had some fun with the audience, reminiscing on what might have been. The original game's title was Battleground Infinity and was pitched to five publishers as a massively multiplayer online game that revolved around mythological gods. Interplay are the ones who pushed the doctors toward the Dungeons & Dragons RPG route, which I'm pretty sure worked out for them in the end.
Fan Faire 2010: John Smedley and the SOE crew talk EverQuest Next
EverQuest Next, the surprise news out of this year's Fan Faire, has certainly gathered a lot of attention from the general MMOGsphere since word broke about the game last night. Across Twitter, Facebook, and myriad blogs, many people are wondering just precisely what the plans are, and what this new incarnation of the world of Norrath might be like. Well, the developers behind the game sat down with attendees at Fan Faire not only to show off screenshots and concept art from EverQuest Next, but also to solicit questions and ideas from the SOE-devoted -- and they've captured it all on video for those of us who couldn't make it! While they stress that this is all in the very early stages, there are some great insights on the thinking behind this reboot of their beloved franchise. There's also some information on what players can expect with regard to support for subscribers of EverQuest and EverQuest II once EverQuest Next comes out. If you're hungry for more details straight from the people behind this surprising new title, then check out the videos behind the break!
HP's 30-inch ZR30w IPS LCD monitor reviewed: exceptional performance, reasonable price
The market for 30-inch monitors is growing, but that's not the same as saying that your options are plentiful. You'll have a far easier time finding high-res 24- and 27-inch screens to toss together, but if you've got your mind set on a single LCD workspace, HP's ZR30w has to be on the short list. Coming in at an altogether respectable $1,299, this panel offers oodles of pixels (2,560 x 1,600) and top-shelf image quality. Critics over at Hot Hardware were thoroughly pleased with the results, keeping in mind that this was designed for the creative professional. They did knock the lack of ports (only a DisplayPort and DVI connector are included), but the lack of inputs was just about all they could kvetch about. Performance was deemed "exceptional," color reproduction was said to be "superb" and it even managed to hold its own while gaming. You may not be a big fan of the plain styling, but those source links are definitely worth a look if you've been teetering on this here fence.
Sharp microchip enables dual-screen smartphones, e-readers and netbooks
Judging by the fact that our lovely planet is home to the Libretto W100, the Kno, Onkyo DX and oodles of prototypes that utilize twin panels rather than a panel and a keyboard, Sharp's newest microchip is likely to draw some serious industry attention. Improving on an idea that began in 2008, the company has recently shown off a new chip (dubbed LR388G9) that can control two mobile LCDs and can simultaneously display a pair of different 1,024 x 480 pixel clips on a pair of screens; moreover, it can output full 1080p to any source connected via HDMI. Since '08, Sharp has increased memory capacity from 16Mbits to 32Mbits while boosting the image processing speed, and the company now intends to hawk this new guy to outfits who manufacture smartphones, e-readers, digital photo frames and even netbooks. If all goes well, the chip will ship within a 261-pin WFBGA package this September, with volume pricing pegged at around ¥2,400 ($27).
How-to: install Pixel Qi's 3Qi display on your netbook (and why it's worth it)
It's hard to believe that it's been almost two and a half years since Pixel Qi spun off from OLPC and promised to bring its dual-mode, power efficient display to laptops, tablets, and e-readers. For those who haven't followed our small obsession with the 3Qi screen technology (shame on you!) it promises the best of both worlds: full-color graphics in a normal LCD mode, but also the ability to turn off the backlight to morph into a grayscale, e-paper like display. And while we've seen it demoed at tradeshows (and more tradeshows!), we haven't been able to get our own grubby hands on the much-lauded display. Until now, of course. No, the 3Qi display still isn't shipping in any commercially available products, but Pixel Qi is at long last offering a $275 10.1-inch screen replacement kit for netbooks through MakerShed. Needless to say, we jumped -- nay, leaped -- at the chance to finally get the display into our laboratories, roll up our sleeves and get to crankin'. That's right, we got out the screwdriver, wrangled up an old Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 netbook and swapped in the 3Qi display for Lenovo's glossy panel. You're surely sitting on a metric ton of questions. Was it hard to swap out? Has the screen been everything we've ever fantasized about and more? Is it really 80 percent more power efficient than standard LCDs? We've got plenty of answers as well as a step-by-step how-to after the break.
Mimo goes giant with 10-inch iMo Monster USB-driven monitor
Who says the USB monitor fun has to end at seven diagonal inches? Not Mimo, that's for sure. The famed secondary display company has issued its latest device, and this one's a looker. The 10-inch iMo Monster is aptly named, offering 10 full inches of touchscreen real estate with a native 1,024 x 600 resolution panel. The whole thing weighs just 1.77 pounds and it fully supports both Windows and OS X platforms; best of all, a single USB 2.0 cable provides all the power and connectivity you'll need. Mimo throws in a stylus, 4.5-inch USB cable and a boatload of bragging rights, but given the "limited availability," you may want to part ways with your $259.99 right away if you're looking to pick one up.
