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Researchers tout plans for moon greenhouse, Silent Running sequel
The Google Lunar X Prize obviously hasn't drawn quite the same number of competitors as some of the more Earthbound X Prizes, but it looks like things are starting to heat up a little bit, with Paragon Space Development recently teaming up with Odyssey Moon in an effort to deploy the first greenhouse on the surface of moon. Specifically, the team is hoping to grow a Brassica plant (a member of the mustard family) in a pressurized greenhouse like the one picture above, and possibly even see the plant re-seed itself within a single Lunar day (or 14 Earth days), which just so happens to coincide with the average growth period for the plant on Earth. Of course, that would only be one small part of the X Prize mission, which first and foremost requires teams to safely land a craft, send some live video back to Earth, travel at least 500 meters, send some more video, and carry a payload. So, still a little ways off, but don't let that stop you from checking out the (autoplaying) video after the break, in which Paragon's Taber MacCallum (a Biosphere veteran himself) explains the project to the folks at Engineering TV.
E308: A closer look at The Agency's factions
Espionage. Spies. High-tech weaponry. All of it sounds great to us, but what's the deal with the two factions in the upcoming Sony Online Entertainment title The Agency? We got a chance to talk to Matt Wilson at E3, who gave us all the news on how the two factions, ParaGON and UNITE are progressing through the alpha. We also asked about how these agencies will shake out in terms of cooperative (and not-so-cooperative) play. So tell us a bit about the two sides for those who are unfamiliar with The Agency. We have ParaGON and UNITE, red and blue -- well, orangish red -- and the idea behind it is kind of uptown versus downtown. It's Jack Daniels versus Grey Goose. It's the coolest gadgets versus duct-tape and bailing wire. It's the attitude you choose as a player when you come into the game. ParaGON is more the mercenary for hire. They will work for anyone who can afford to pay them. UNITE is all about staying within a code of conduct, and working with the global authority. Eventually, they will wind up working together. We're hoping that the cross-faction game will bring in an interesting dynamic into play. We want to create areas where both factions really have to work together to solve problems.%Gallery-12934%
The Agency: UNITE vs PARAGON
Not everyone is cut out to be a spy. There's the code name -- are you more of a Falcon or a Wolf? Are those too urbane? Maybe DA FIXER is more your style? And then there's the outfit. Tuxedos -- rent or buy? Evening gowns -- daring or coy? Cars -- black sports cars or camo-painted APCs? You just can't walk into the business unprepared.SOE is here to help. Their upcoming spy-themed MMO, The Agency, lets you indulge your inner cloak and dagger -- how much of cloak and how much of dagger, well, that's up to you. Urbane and sophisticated, making risky plays in Baccarat and seducing the young, rich and beautiful? If you like your ID numbers short with a few zeros in front, well, the United Nations Intelligence and Tactical Experts -- UNITE -- is likely your sort of organization. If the authorities can follow the line of half-destroyed buildings and flaming car wrecks straight to your slightly-dented tank, you should think about talking to the Paramilitary Global Operations Network -- ParaGON.To make your task a little easier, SOE has tossed together a video that should make it easier for you to decide whether people should know you as "The Saint" or "BAMF". Creeping, sneaking, assassinating and blowing-up goodness after the break.
Meet The Agency's two factions: ParaGON and U.N.I.T.E.
It has been our experience that all great spy organizations come in rivaling pairs -- take, for example, SD-6 and the CIA, CONTROL and KAOS, UNITY and H.A.R.M., and of course, the aptly titled Spy vs. Spy. Sony Online Entertainment's much anticipated MMO for the PS3, The Agency, appears to follow the conventions of spy fiction by including two main factions players must choose between: The United Nations Intelligence and Tactical Experts (U.N.I.T.E.) and The Paramilitary Global Operations Network (ParaGON).The above trailer is a delicious morsel of the espionage-heavy atmosphere featured in the title, but it doesn't do much to persuade us to either side. We mean, enlisting in a spy organization is serious business -- does U.N.I.T.E. have dental? What kind of insurance policy does ParaGON provide? We've heard good things about U.N.I.T.E.'s retirement options, but can we afford to miss out on ParaGON's frequent company picnics to Dollywood? Decisions, decisions!
ION 08: The Agency update and RMT confusion
While attending the SOE open house event last night after all the ION 08 panels were finished, we got the chance to sit down with The Agency's lead designer Hal Milton. He talked about the game at length, which of course meant our ears and eyes were firmly directed in his direction. The first thing we feel is important to mention before getting into some new juicy details, is the recent news about downloadable content for the spy-fueled action MMO. You see there's been some confusion and in speaking to Hal he expressed his desire to clear things up. Players will in fact be able to purchase things with their hard earned money in The Agency, however, these items will not be weapons or equipment. To be clear: From what Hal told us, nothing that gives one player an instant leg-up over another will be for sale. With that out of the way, lets get on to the new information.%Gallery-22924%
Paragon shows dual-mode "hipi-2200" Smartphone
We're, like, so over flush metal keypads, but we're going to let it slide just this once. Looking to bring a little more spit and polish than the original dual-mode hipi before it, Paragon Wireless' new hipi-2200 ups the ante with the inclusion of Windows Mobile 5 -- in a far more refined-looking package, to boot. With the exception of the lack of 3G (or even EDGE, for that matter) and the pedestrian 220 x 176 display, the spec sheet reads like a dream come true for Windows Mobile fans: 2-megapixel cam, microSD expansion, quadband GSM, SIP-based VoIP with seamless handoff, and a claimed 100 hours of standby with both GSM and WiFI radios turned on. Best of all, Paragon says the hipi-2200 is FCC certified, making a US release at least plausible. Likely? No, but we can dare to dream.[Via Mobilewhack]
Guild Wars Nightfall arrives Oct. 27
NCsoft and ArenaNet have announced that both the standard and collector's editions of Guild Wars Nightfall will be available Oct. 27. If you can't wait that long to begin exploring the new continent of Elona, the pre-release bonus pack ships in three weeks.Achtung! For those of you attending the Games Convention in Leipzig this weekend, be sure to check out the final rounds of the Guild Wars Factions Championships.See also: New Guild Wars Nightfall trailer
Guild Wars: Nightfall announced
NCsoft has announced the third Guild Wars campaign, Nightfall, which will have an exclusive PvP preview for current members on July 28-30. Like its predecessors, Nightfall is a standalone module with a new continent to explore, and will only require the earlier games if you have characters to transfer. However, veterans might be tempted to start fresh with one of the two new professions -- the angelic Paragon or the scythe-wielding Dervish, both of which are previewed at GameSpot. Visit the game's official web site for more details on the Nightfall preview event, as well as updates on the Guild Wars Factions Championship.See also: Guild Wars goings-on NCsoft's E3 booth tour Guild Wars: character slots for cash coming soon
FCC shows its open-source side with two smartphones
Sure, they're common in Asia where the lack of licensing fees is a huge draw for manufacturers, but we've yet to see the promise of real, honest-to-goodness Linux smartphone action go big here in the States. A couple of Chinese firms might be looking to help us change that. E28 (yep, the name of the company is "E28") has gotten FCC blessing for its Faraday-esque candybar packing a 2 megapixel camera, MicroSD slot, touch screen, and WiFi. The "hipi" clamshell by Paragon lacks any keypad and trades the MicroSD slot for one of the MiniSD variety. Both devices appear to rock VoIP clients, as well. If E28 can lose the sickly mauve color, we'd be more than happy to review a unit. You listening, guys?[Via phoneArena]Read - E28Read - Paragon PW1010
