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RIFT gives the new Steppes of Infinity Conquest map a spin
This past weekend, RIFT players and devs alike jumped into the new Steppes of Infinity Conquest to try out the PvP map on the test server. On the forums, a dev gave players an idea of what to expect from the map, saying that teams will be ferrying stones between upgradable forts for points. However, once 1,750 player deaths occur, players have a five-minute timer to score as much as possible followed by loot for the winners. The devs followed up the playtest with a peek at some of the upcoming goodies for the game, including an Umbral Budgie mount, a mech mount, and a new powerful focus.
Camelot Unchained Q&A talks box copies, name reservations, and stretch goals
The community got to kick several questions at the Camelot Unchained team lately, the answers to many of which were returned with gusto in a new Q&A post. Some of the topics included boxed copies of the game being limited for collectors only, name reservations being done on a first-come basis through Founder's Points, and additional funding stretch goals for developing the Depths and adding more team members to the project. The magic system is coming along as well: "Mark [Jacobs] has been writing and editing the magic and combat systems documents and we have had team meetings to give him feedback. Once we have these systems to a point where the team feels that they are exciting and workable, then we can start releasing details to the community." The team also gave its monthly update regarding the development of the game. Special mentions were given to work being done on the archery system and preparation for the January playtest.
Valve is ready for you to test its hardware prototypes, has a handy survey
In what is assuredly the inauspicious beginnings of an alternate reality Aperture Science, Valve Software is asking interested parties to take a brief survey which may result in being the first people outside of the company to get hands-on time with Valve's hardware prototypes. Additionally, participants will get a chance to playtest "both released and unreleased versions of our games." Putting the two together, it sounds an awful lot like you'll be trying existing Valve games with new means of input. For now, Valve's only seeking folks in the Seattle/Bellevue, Washington region of the US, but that may expand remotely "in the future." Perhaps in an upcoming hardware beta? We can't be sure! It's unclear when the survey sign-up period will end, but we've asked Valve for more info. Let's just say we'd suggest not putting it off. Click here to take the survey.
Help stress test LotRO to win cool prizes and meet devs
Isn't it funny? People are always clamoring to get into closed betas but once an MMO launches, test servers are usually pretty empty, even for special events. Turbine has decided to offer some great incentives for players to participate in their upcoming Lord of the Rings Online performance test and is giving away several high-powered computer accessories and making sure the devs are online to interact with. Subscribers and even trial-account holders can log into the Bullroarer public test server between 9:00PM and 11:00PM Eastern on Thursday, May 14 and have a shot at winning: Two (2) first prizes - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition CPU + OCZ Platinum 4GB DDR3 SDRAM Five (5) second prizes - OCZ Vertex 60GB MLC Solid State SATA II Hard Drive Ten (10) third prizes - ATI Radeon HD 4890 Video Card Twenty (20) fourth prizes - Signed copy of The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria In order to qualify, you must play the entire two hours of the event and be a resident of the United States. Disconnects will not disqualify you as long as you log back in immediately. You can download the Bullroarer client here. Good luck!
Watch this space, Epic Games plans to double in size
Having tired of rubbing actual elbows with fellow teammates, Epic Games' always verbose VP Mark Rein has confessed that he and his squad of developers have "pretty much run out of space" in the company's North Carolina base of operations, and that plans are well underway for an expansion to "at least" double the facility's current size. According to a report by North Carolina's News Observer, the devs coughed up a cool $1.57 million for the new office space, which will be positioned on a five-acre lot adjacent to Epic's current 31,000-square foot HQ.Headcount at Epic currently stands at 94, with current growth of around one new employee a month expected to continue for the next couple of years. So with all of this added space, will the developers get to spread out, and maybe quit knocking over each others' Mt. Dew as they reach for their mouse? Unlikely, as the report notes that the new facility will instead be largely used to house the numerous play testers that visit Epic, rather than have to rent out space down the street. We understand the need completely, though until the devs get additional space of their own we'd suggest judicious application of lids.
