pictures
Latest
Massively Exclusive: Seeing the sights in City of Steam
I can't recall the last indie MMO that was making any waves while still being in the pre-alpha stage, but that's the strange power that Mechanist Games' City of Steam has. Word-of-mouth and a clever setting have made this a must-see title, and we were pleased to join Editor Gabriel Laforge for a developer tour of the game in its current state. City of Steam is an indie MMO, but don't let that put you off; the team is substantially larger than you'd expect and brimming with talent. The steampunk title loads extremely quickly in your browser, thanks to the Unity web player and a ridiculously small client size. In its current state, City of Steam has four large overworld zones and around 80 instanced dungeons, and yet the total size is -- get this -- 70 megabytes. It's so tiny that some of the dungeons are only a few hundred kilobytes apiece. With the repeated caveat that this was all still pre-alpha and subject to change, Laforge let me log in and explore to my heart's delight. What follows is raw and shocking footage from that journey.
WildStar welcomes us to Gallow, teases big reveal
Carbine hosted a light WildStar Wednesday this week due to traveling to E3, and as such we've been given a slew of pictures to tide us over. The five screenshots are of Gallow, one of the towns in WildStar that is located in Algoroc. Gallow appears to be a frontier town with a handful of structures, including a rickety water tower. It sits nestled in a mountainous region marked by pine trees, lush grass, and jutting red buttes. If you feel a little robbed by this week's reveal, Carbine promises that next Wednesday will present a doozy: "Behind the scenes, the community team is working on a pretty major project that we'll unveil at next week's WildStar Wednesday, so stay tuned for an in-depth first look at something we've never shared about WildStar!"
Zynga-owned Draw Something finally gets update for sharing, undo
Most of our stories about Draw Something since the game's launch have been business related. After it garnered tens of millions of users in its first few weeks, the company that makes the game, OMGPOP, was bought by Zynga for a whopping $200 million. But here's finally something to show after all of that hubbub: The game has been updated on the App Store with a few features that probably should have been in there all along. Specifically, those would be the ability to actually share the pictures you make with Facebook and Twitter or saving them to the Photos app on your iOS device. Previously, people were working around this by screencapping their pictures, but this makes much more sense and should make for passing around even more great drawings. You can also undo steps if you make a mistake while drawing, and users can chat with each other as they draw as well. As far as I'm concerned, this is OMGPOP catching up with must-have improvements to the app and given that much of the buzz on the app has passed, they might not be too much help in growing the app's audience even further. But for those still playing Draw Something, these will probably be nice updates to have anyway.
Google updates Gmail's 'people widget,' now includes previous images
When it comes to an ideal conduit for minor announcements, Google's found a home on its very own social network. And this time, it's telling the world about a small update to the people widget -- that bar currently occupying real estate on the right-hand side of gmail.com. Along with showing the pertinent contact information from an email chain's participants, the peep widge will now reveal the last three images sent to you by the displayed contacts. As one might expect, clicking on the pics will whisk you to its associated email, and provide a little extra context to that candid, landscape or Lolcat you're staring at. Not the most exciting of additions, we'll admit, but a little extra functionality never hurts. Right?
LG Optimus Elite gets photographed, decked out in Sprint and Virgin livery
Not a fan of that 5-inch, IPS display on the Optimus Vu? Perhaps, you'd be more interested in a smaller, lesser-specced member of the family. According to PocketNow, the Optimus Elite is sprinting its way toward The Now Network and Virgin Mobile, with an expected launch on the former "rather soon" and the latter as early as May. The Elite is allegedly packing some run-of-the-mill features, including a 3.5-inch, HVGA screen alongside a five-megapixel rear shooter and an 800Mhz CPU. Both flavors look identical, save for Virgin's prepaid flavor going with a darker look, which you can gander at by jumping past the break.
Roku players now have an official Plex channel with upgraded UI and new features
If you're a fan of Plex's media server software and Roku's do-everything hockey puck media streamers then today is your lucky day, as bringing the two together is now easier than ever. While Plex has supported streaming to Roku devices through an unofficial channel since last year, today it announced it's officially available in the Channel Store. That's not the only thing that has changed either, since a blog post indicates the new official channel brings a new upgraded UI and features like myPlex support, audio and picture support, and Direct Play of video without transcoding on compatible videos. Hit the Plex blog for a few more screenshots and details, or just turn on your Roku and add the app directly. Also, if a Google TV device is your preferred Plex client, that app has also just been updated with a few new bugfixes.
The trouble with universal apps and the new iPad
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to afford a new iPad yet (nor have I had time to drool over one at the Apple Store), but I've heard from many of you just how amazing that Retina display is. I'm not surprised. The iPhone's transition to the Retina was great, and it must be even better on a larger scale. Of course, there's a tradeoff for having graphics that look this great in a universal app. Developer Justine Pratt has run through a few of the pros and cons of going universal. The most obvious drawback is app size. Those bigger graphics take up more space, and for many graphics-heavy applications, that could put them over the cellular data download limit (now at 50 MB). Universal apps specifically are taking this hit, even if they're not running with the new iPad-sized graphics on the iPhone hardware. There are good reasons to stick with universal as well, of course. Customers like apps that run on both devices. Given how different iPhone and iPad versions of an app can be, a universal often feels like getting two apps for the price of one. But each developer has to decide for themselves whether universal is the right way to go or not. In the past, universal was almost a no brainer, but I think as more and more devs figure out just what the differences are in the experience on the iPad and the iPhone, we'll see more and more devs (with limited resources, at least) choosing to split their apps up and run them device only more often.
Google+ updated with photo album organizer, batch delete and sorting functionality in tow
Suffice it to say, if you're still using Google+ you've probably noticed that it hasn't exactly had an expansive feature set for organizing photo albums. According to Isaac Sparrow, a self-described "engineer on the Google+ Photos team," a great number of folks have expressed the desire for better functionality in this area. Thankfully, in response, he also announced some a quartet of features that have just been set live on the site to help you keep your candids in check. Within the Options menus of your albums you'll now find an Organize tab which'll let you select and delete a multiple images, move and copy them to other albums and resort them by date or any order you choose. Sure, it's far from the likes of Facebook's Timeline, but we'd imagine anyone with backlog of photos on the site will surely appreciate the new digs. You know the drill -- hit the links below for all the details.
The Daily Grind: What do you look for when taking screenshots?
There's an art to taking a cool screenshot, an art that I'm sadly not very good at. I never seem to be able to take good shots in combat, and my attempts at picking out perfect environments are pretty much nonexistent. The one thing I can do is ensure that whether I'm in Final Fantasy XIV or Star Wars: The Old Republic, I have good screenshots of my characters looking cool. I've paused what I'm doing in-game on occasion just to make sure that I can line up a nice character shot perfectly. Of course, some people can find perfect angles for landscapes. Some people look for a funny glitch or a strange character type. And some people just find the right art to capture an intense battle in one moment. What do you look for when you're taking a screenshot? Do you go to great lengths to set up the right shot, or do you just have a knack for getting a certain picture type just 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!
Lytro video camera 'a possibility', would need more processing muscle
While we impatiently await a Lytro to call our own -- or at least rigorously review -- it looks like the light field technology could be used for video. Ren Ng, CEO of Lytro and the man behind the camera's focus-dodging optical wizardry, mentioned that the main barrier between the curious camera lens and video recording is the amount of processing power required to manipulate all that fully-lit input. He also mentioned that Lytro is continuing to develop the wireless connectivity within the device, something that wasn't fully baked during our hands-on. If it's a processing power issue, those incoming quad-core smartphones might be able to help squeeze some video out of that f/2.0 lens...
Derek Smart's Line of Defense shows off battle environments
Last year we got our first look at Line of Defense, a new MMOFPS from Derek Smart and his team at 3000AD. The title is looking good so far and the devs are certainly eager to show off their progress. As such, 3000AD delivered five brand-new screenshots showcasing the environments and outfits that players will experience, including desert and snowy terrains. Line of Defense takes place in the same game universe as Smart's Battlecruiser 3000AD series, and promises to deliver "open-world FPS mayhem" from the depths of the ocean to the heights of space and everything in-between. You can check out the new screenies in the gallery below, and make sure to catch up on our Derek Smart interview about Line of Defense if you haven't already! [Source: Evolve PR press release] %Gallery-115480%
Samsung AllShare and AllShare Play with the Galaxy Note hands-on (video)
Away from home and need to pull Transformers 3 off of your PC? Samsung will oblige with its AllShare content system. The tech pulls video, music and pics from your connected computer(s) to your Galaxy Note via the AllShare Play app. Then, said software pushes the clip of your choosing to a web-enabled Samsung TV. Want a look at it in action? Take a look at the images below and our video demo just beyond the break. In the short time we spent with AllShare, we were pretty impressed. Of course, the laptop that we were accessing content from was an arm's length away. We'd like to see how the whole kit performs from across town, in a more real-world setting. Even in close proximity, the tech worked pretty quickly, as we only had to wait a few seconds for the media to load or for an adequate connection to be made. Once you start a clip, your smartphone becomes a remote control of sorts with volume and playback controls. We're looking forward to being able to decide on that Boardwalk Empire marathon on-the-fly sans the need for pre-planning. The only thing we'd like to see is some sort of preview while the media is streaming on the TV. Right now, you can only view the content on one or the other and not on both devices at the same time.
Dropbox 'experimenting' with photo and video import, enables instant transfer to the cloud
Dropbox is handing out yet another early peek at a fresh new tool for the early-adopting enthusiast crowd. The cloud-based storage service is introducing a feature that'll allow all your photo / video captured memories to be instantly transferred as soon as you plug in a device that houses your media, and you can have a raw look at the "experimental build" now. Before you do, though, Dropbox is warning you to take the dive at your own risk. There's no word on when the tool will hit the masses, but if you're willing to get past the notice, the source link will fill you in on all the necessary deets.
The Daily Grind: What game do you think never looks good in screenshots?
Screenshots might not be the most important part of a game, but they're important before you decide to pop in and play. After all, part of what makes you decide that a game is worth trying out is the fact that it looks cool. Unfortunately, some games just hit us the wrong way. No matter how many different shots you get and how many different angles are tried, every time you see a screenshot of the game, it just looks bad. Maybe it's a game you don't like. Maybe it's a game you do like, and you know it looks better in play. Maybe it's a game you've never tried one way or the other just because the look of the game turns you off. You might have no opinion on the game whatsoever -- regular Massively readers probably see several screenshots of games they don't even remember that don't look good to them. What game just seems to look bad in static shots every single time? 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!
Show off your smartphone photog skills with Sony Ericsson's vscreens
Have you been jonesin' to show off those Epic 4G Touch camera skills on a bit bigger screen? Sony Ericsson has you covered with vscreens, a website / app combo that gets your trip to Everest on your flatscreen to secure bragging rights. Once you install the app from the Android Market, point your internet browsing screen -- PC, Google TV and PS3 included -- to the vscreens website. From there, you simply scan the QR code that appears on your display and presto, you're showing off that trip to the Adirondacks like it's your job, sans cables or Bluetooth. If you're looking to give it a spin, you'll find all you need via the links below. And pretty soon, you'll be able to showcase those Galaxy Nexus panoramas at your next dinner party. Pretty sweet, huh?
Steve Jobs and the Mac team, photographed by Norman Seeff
I really like these photos of Steve Jobs and the early Mac gang, taken by Norman Seeff. You may have seen one of them on the front cover of Time magazine, not to mention on the back cover of Jobs's recent biography. It's great how these photos show just how young and carefree Jobs and company once were, hacking away on computers that they then sold directly to other young and carefree computer users. The people in these photos aren't corporate billionaires or marketing geniuses just yet -- they're just having fun making cool stuff. But at the same time, I do see a little glint in Steve's eye, a realization that by posing with his computer on his lap in front of a fireplace with a beer next to him, he's got the opportunity to be "different" from everyone else out there. These were taken after Bill Gates's hilarious photos, and you get the sense that Jobs already knows history is watching. Great photos for sure. Thanks, Elizabeth!
Apple releases new Digital Camera RAW update
Apple has released yet another compatibility update for the RAW format in digital cameras for use with iPhoto and Aperture, and it makes the following (mostly new) cameras compatible: Canon PowerShot S100 Nikon 1 J1 Nikon 1 V1 Nikon COOLPIX P7100 Olympus PEN E-PL1s Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus PEN E-PM1 Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ150 Sony Alpha NEX-5N Sony Alpha SLT-A65 Sony Alpha SLT-A77 Spiffy! I'm interested to see the new PowerShot in there -- it's relatively inexpensive for cameras that can take pictures in the RAW format, and the PowerShot line is generally good for beginner to mid-level users. Of course, you should always do your own research before embarking on a camera purchase, but if you want a cheap(er) way to play with the RAW format, that might be a good option. As always, the update is available through Software Update.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Hardened Edition, unboxed
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is finally out and available in stores, and if you're considering picking up the Hardened Edition (available in most places for $99.99, a mere $40 more than the standard edition), boy do we have a gallery for you to browse through. Below, you can see exactly what's in that box, including a collectible case, a "Limited Edition Field Journal" featuring sketches and materials associated with the game and its story, and the special card and manual that comes with the free year of Call of Duty Elite (and "Founder" status). Sure, it doesn't have quite as many dragons as Skyrim's Collectors Edition, but that Call of Duty Elite membership will come in handy (not to mention it'll save you the $49.99 that you'd usually pay per year for the service's premium features). Enjoy. %Gallery-138747%
Go go Power Rangers Online! For real!
Because we miss the '90s and the wonderful fads that it introduced to our culture, Korean developer Ntreev has announced the return of the fabled Power Rangers -- this time in MMO form. Officially unveiled on Friday in Seoul, Power Rangers Online is prepping for its first Korean closed beta, which should begin November 3rd with extremely limited numbers. The game is designed to be a side-scrolling action MMO based on the Power Rangers Mystic Force series. Player will make their own unique character but choose an iconic color (i.e., "class") from the show. As they level up, players can outfit their characters with gear other than the Power Rangers classic spandex-slash-biker motif. So far the beta consists of two "acts" with 14 stages and storytelling comic book-style sequences. If you're fully secure in who you are and have no compunctions about friends and family members questioning your viewing habits, you can look at some of the first screenshots in the gallery below and watch the teaser trailer after the jump! %Gallery-137937%
You put the Lime Odyssey in the screenshot gallery and drink them both up
We simply cannot be the only ones who see the title of Aeria Games' upcoming MMO and instantly start singing, "You put the lime in the coconut and drink them both up." Please tell us we're not. We may go mad otherwise. In any case, Lime Odyssey has released 10 new screenshots today showing off many of the lush vistas of its game world. Included in the batch are views of the Human stomping grounds of the Blue Coral Forest, the desert plains of West Tumbara, and the Muris starting zone of Haze Island. Lime Odyssey will launch with four classes, three races, and four gathering and crafting professions. You can get an eyeful of limey goodness in the gallery below, and if it piques your interest, head on over to the official site to sign up for the beta! %Gallery-127103% [Source: Aeria Games press release]
