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Adobe previews AI-powered ‘Sky Replacement’ tool for Photoshop
Adobe shows off a new tool that lets you replace the sky in any image.
PlanetSide 2 video reveals the Valkyrie
SOE Creative Director Matt Higby and his dreamy blue eyes are at the forefront of a new preview video for PlanetSide 2, running down the upcoming features as well as an exclusive look at the Valkyrie aircraft. Higby said that in April, the team will be doing a "large-scale balance pass" and bringing in the missions and implant systems. May will see a Combat Medic update, improvements to outfits, and a resource revamp. The video concludes with a sneak peek of the Valkyrie fast-attack aircraft that will allow a small squad of four to quickly hop from fight to fight. This vehicle will be coming out in the summer, and you can check it out after the break! [Thanks to BabaGraPL for the tip!]
New mount sneak peek on Warcraft Twitter
What's this? We don't know -- but a preview of this new mount was just tweeted on the official Warcraft Twitter account. To our eyes, this looks like a flight-capable and slightly more savage version of the Reins of the Raven Lord, found in Sethekk Halls. Given that Warlords of Draenor is the next expansion and the arakkoa have their own zone, this may very well be related -- perhaps this is a preview of the mount you'll get when you purchase a Digital Deluxe pre-order? Either way, it seems we'll find out Soon™. If you're on Twitter, be sure to follow the official Warcraft Twitter account for more tantalizing hints and general news.
Pirate101 sneak peek open to all going on until 9 tonight
If you've been following the development of Pirate101 and looking forward to checking the game out, you just might want to drop whatever you are doing! Going on right now and for only six hours, KingsIsle has opened the game to any and all who want to jump in and get their pirate on. So grab your parrot and swashbuckle on over to the official site to sign up and download the game to get started; the open sneak peek will close promptly at 9:00 p.m. EDT tonight! And while it's downloading, you can learn more about the game in Massively's Pirate101 reveal.
Firefall video gives a sneak peek at Assault changes
Firefall's Assault battleframe will be evolving this summer. The dev team has a stated goal of increasing the skill ceiling of all the battleframes, so Assault will be oriented more to precise attacks and positioning. With fewer hitpoints and increased speed, Assault will be one of the quickest battleframes in the game. This puts more focus on mobility and agile short- and mid-range gameplay. The battleframe's AoE will also be toned down, meaning more abilities will require aiming and include less splash damage to put more emphasis, again, on skillful play. These changes will come as part of what's being touted as "the biggest patch in Firefall history," which players are told to expect "later this summer." Skip below the cut to see the new and improved Assault battleframe in action!
Rusty Hearts: Reborn first look released
Rusty Hearts, part of Perfect World Entertainment's free-to-play stable, is receiving its first expansion! On July 24th, the MMO brawler will be getting its largest update since launch. The expansion, Rusty Hearts: Reborn, includes both high-level content tailored toward advanced characters and new areas and features for new players and characters. Other updates to long-standing features will also enhance the Rusty Hearts experience. The first look trailer, which you can see below the cut, tells players to "get ready" and promises new bosses, new weapons, and new combos.
Microsoft offers a sneak peek at Windows Phone, we'll be liveblogging at 12pm ET!
Microsoft is definitely having a field day week, sandwiched right in between WWDC and Google I/O. Tomorrow morning the giant's offered us a sneak peek at Windows Phone, and that's leaving us plenty of food for thought to chew on. Will it be this Apollo we've heard all about? We're going to be at tomorrow morning's keynote, bringing you all of the updates as the news flows out of Joe Belfiore & Co. Join us then -- the fun begins at noon! June 20, 2012 12:00 PM EDT
E3 2012: RIFT shows Storm Legion's Tower of Dawn, confirms digital CE
While we got a great preview of some of the excitement coming with this fall's RIFT: Storm Legion expansion at E3, the public was treated to a "sneak peek" livestream from the press room by the devs. The livestreamed some of the content we've seen already, such as the clockwork dungeon and the mighty colossus attack, but also dropped a few new surprises as well. When asked if the expansion will have a collector's edition, the dev confirmed that it probably will have a digital CE. He then laughed that he probably let the cat out of the bag on that one. He was reluctant to show the in-game map of the new continents, however, explaining that they are a work in progress. The Trion Worlds team also demoed a special interior for the first time, the Tower of Dawn. While not a proper dungeon, the tower will be an expansive and dangerous location to explore. The dev said that players were asking for more interiors to explore, hence why Trion took the time to make it. You can scope out some of our screengrabs from the livestream after the break!
Microsoft to offer Windows Phone Apollo 'sneak peek' on June 20th, we'll be there
Microsoft is likely as eager to announce the upcoming version of Windows Phone -- known as Apollo or Windows Phone 8 -- as we are to hear about it. Fortunately, we expect the answers to our many questions won't be left unanswered for much longer, as the folks in Redmond are flying down to San Francisco to offer us a sneak peak of "the future of Windows Phone." Certainly, we're hoping this brief look at the next OS will be more expansive than, say, the BlackBerry 10 reveal last month. Either way, we'll be at the event to cover every single detail, so mark your calendar!
Massively to co-host STO panel at the Official Star Trek Convention
Hey MMO Trekkies, are you beaming down to Las Vegas for this year's Official Star Trek Convention? If so, we've got one event that you won't want to miss: a Q&A panel with Star Trek Online's developers co-hosted by Massively and TrekRadio.net! We'll be on the scene as Cryptic Studios fields a wide variety of questions from ardent fans of the game. If getting that burning question you've had off your chest isn't enough of a reason to attend, the developers will also show a few trailers and sneak peeks of upcoming content. The panel will take place on Saturday, August 11th, from 2:00 to 3:00 EDT (11:00 a.m. to noon PDT) at the Rio Suites Hotel in Las Vegas.
The gates hiss open for a peek at City of Steam
The steampunk genre is loved by a lot of gamers, but it has yet to see a surfeit of titles. The good news for fans is that City of Steam is on the horizon, and it's promising a free-to-play browser-based experience for anyone who wants to take part in exploring ancient mechanical ruins. Of course, the question then becomes whether or not the game is worth the investment of time... something that can be solved by taking part in the game's currently running sneak peek event. The sneak peek is available only to players who already snagged a code for access, meaning that players just coming into the game will be out of luck. It's certainly an encouraging sign that the game is moving toward its full release, which should make fans of clockwork automatons and arcane science quite happy. And if you're one of the players taking part in the sneak peek... well, all the better, right?
TERA EU gearing up for second system test
TERA's European client will undergo another round of testing today at 2:00 p.m. Central Europe time. According to a post on the official boards, this is another "special functional test of [TERA's] systems," much like the one that went awry over the weekend. The testing period will run for approximately four hours, and it is open to everyone who has redeemed a sneak peek or pre-order key for the European client. TERA EU community manager Raven says that this test is actually a test, unlike the marketing beta events we've grown accustomed to in recent years. "Remember this is not a test to enjoy the game, but rather to test our server infrastructure," she writes.
TERA's EU sneak peek weekend canceled due to unknown technical fault
Upcoming fantasy MMO TERA has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons, from controversial IP blocking to NCSoft's ongoing lawsuit against developers En Masse Entertainment. Today we add another story to the growing list of problems plaguing TERA as its European sneak peek weekend has collapsed due to unknown technical issues. Though a limited number of preview keys were given out for the event, the game and login servers broke down shortly after the preview got underway. The event that fans were looking forward to has now been canceled, with no date for a restart yet announced. The official TERA Europe Facebook page confirms that "The cancellation was not due to load problems caused by the large number of potential players," but was unable to shed any light on what caused the fault or when the sneak peek event would resume. With the game's US launch set for May 1st and its European launch shortly after on May 3rd, we can only hope that these problems are ironed out soon. [Thanks for the tip, Phil!]
Wings Over Atreia's Aion 2.7 sneak-peek: Dev death match
You all just better be grateful that NCsoft is working out the kinks by using me as a guinea pig so you can have a smooth launch! Even if by launch I only mean the PTS, which is set to go live today with Aion's newest patch. Yes folks, I -- your intrepid Wings Over Atreia correspondent -- was invited to a media sneak-peek to check out the Crucible 3 arenas coming very soon to a live server near you. Who am I to pass up a few practice runs through the new arenas before the rest of the masses? So I touch-down mid-week for some additional Atreian coverage. And come on, no one could pass up the chance to stealth up behind a dev and unleash a flurry of dagger blows into his/her back! Unfortunately, logistical and technical difficulties stretching for days plagued this endeavor. Yours truly was especially cursed. However, just when it seemed like the event wouldn't happen, there we were, standing in Kaisinel Academy in spiffy new duds and queued to enter what is arguably the highlight of 2.7: the PvP arenas. At this point, I forgave all previous problems because I got to commence some slaughter on a few NCsoft employees. What?!? You all know you want to! I tested my dagger and sword against Scott Hannus, producer of the game guide; two members of the game guide team, Sean Orlikowski and Ryan Compton; Adam Christensen, Associate Producer; Dom Wai, Brand Manager; and two members of the community management team, Felicia Johnson (Nyx) and Curtis Grooms (Anhtoo). Oh, and I learned some pretty neat things about the upcoming patch as well. So how was the experience? And just exactly how tasty are Aion's forthcoming goodies? Whet your appetite past the cut with my impressions of the two instances and the new PvP gear as well as check out a video. Then join in on the PTS server to experience for yourself.%Gallery-136333%
Asheron's Call teases May event
While Asheron's Call players have a while yet to wait to get their hands on new playable races, Turbine has a bright shiny ray of good news to share: The May event is tentatively set to hit the servers on May 17th. According to the site, this event includes a new hunting area, a pair of additional dungeons, more quests, and "a couple of surprises." The Asheron's Call team boldly states that this will be "one of the most exciting updates" that players will see this year. The May event announcement ends with a sneak preview of sorts: two pictures showing off new sand textures surrounding a desert town. We've known for a while now that Turbine's been working on updating the game's graphics, so this is a welcome sight indeed. You can read the full article over at Asheron's Call.
A sneak peek at Fallen Earth's Progress Towns
Coming soon to a public test server near Fallen Earth is one of the more exciting pieces of content the game has seen: Progress Towns! Icarus Studios wanted to take the concept of a player-built town and make it something truly special. Progress Towns are the next iteration of Fallen Earth's attempt to include player housing, which started with patch 1.2's camps. With the this new system, players will be able to build up their own towns from the ruins of old ones. Three such towns will be in place for testing: Progress in Sector 2, Stronghold in Sector 3, and Citadel in Deadfall. Before players can move in and start performing stunning makeovers, they'll have to fight enemy mobs who've declared squatter's rights. Once the battle is won, the area becomes player-controlled and can be improved upon by using the construction skillset. Progress Towns can be built up to house many useful features, such as merchants, mailboxes, and defensive structures. Once enough construction takes place, special merchants will appear and offer unique crafting components in exchange for a new form of currency. Don't get too comfortable, however. These towns will always be under the threat of enemy raiders looking to take back what once was theirs! This slice of player-generated content will appear on the test servers next week, but you can get a sneak peek at Progress Towns in the gallery below right now! %Gallery-48606%
Despair not: Frogster promotes RoM Chapter IV closed beta contest
Did you watch Runes of Magic's Chapter IV trailer and instantly start glaring at the calendar that patch day hasn't arrived yet? While we can't make Chapter IV: Lands of Despair arrive any sooner, we can point you to a special contest that may get you a sneak peek at the all of zombie goodness a few weeks early! Frogster is granting closed beta spots to players who can convince the studio that they deserve to be on the front lines of cutting-edge new content. It's fairly simple, too: Just write three sentences as to why you deserve to be part of this beta and email them in to rombeta@frogster-america.com. Runes of Magic's Chapter IV update will be in closed beta from April 6th through April 29th and will have no NDA attached. As you wait to see whether you won the contest or not, why not check out Massively's preview of Lands of Despair? Your eyes will thank you later. %Gallery-116190%
LG G-Slate spotted in Korean music video, 3D cameras and all?
Oh LG, did you really think you could slip an entire tablet past the eagle-eyed gadget obsessives of Korea? The G-Slate has been one of the more mysterious devices launched at CES this year, but it now appears to have shaken off some of its shyness and made a cameo appearance on K-Pop star Seungri's latest music vid. Our Korean correspondents inform us that Seungri's band Big Bang has had a relationship with LG since the introduction of the cheap and cheerful Lollipop handset (video evidence after the break), so it's not unreasonable to believe this young chap has an inside line on LG's upcoming hardware. His video shows an LG-branded slate at 0.53 and 1.52, and although we get only brief glimpses, one of them suggests a dual-camera array on the back, which seemingly corroborates earlier rumors of the G-Slate bringing some 3D voodoo to the market. Skip the break and see for yourself. [Thanks, Alan Yi]
Flyff releases V17 sneak peek
If you've played MMOs for any length of time, you're no doubt aware that the ability to soar through our favorite virtual worlds isn't exactly widespread. While flying mounts have appeared in AAA games including World of Warcraft, Vanguard, and soon, EverQuest II, few games let you soar with abandon like Flyff (which stands for Fly For Fun). The free-to-play title has been giving players the gift of flight since 2005 due to the fact that it's main form of post-20 transportation is via some sort of airborne apparatus. Flyff's newest expansion, V17, looks to continue this trend and is also adding a new Colosseum System designed to allow players to battle bosses for loot rewards. A Cooperation System is also in the cards, as are a boatload of new quests, a new dungeon, and a entirely new zone. Check out Flyff's official website for more info on the V17 expansion as well as the game's 20+ character classes, and be sure to view the V17 trailer after the jump.
iOS 4.2 and iPhone: New features, fixes and changes
Most of the focus on the forthcoming iOS 4.2 update has been on the iPad, and rightly so. The iPad is finally getting marquee features that most iPhone users have enjoyed for months, like multitasking and folder support. iOS 4.2 doesn't bring as many changes to the iPhone as it does to the iPad, but it does introduce a few new features to the iPhone. iOS 4.2 is expected to go live later this week sometime soon, but we'll give you a brief rundown of the new features today. Note that most of these features should be identical on newer versions of the iPod touch, so anywhere I say "iPhone" (which is all I've got to test with), you can probably safely assume I mean iPhone/iPod touch. AirPlay The biggest new feature in iOS 4.2 is AirPlay, which allows you to stream audio to an Apple TV, AirPort Express, or AirPlay-enabled third-party system. You'll also be able to stream video to an Apple TV, but since I don't own one I haven't been able to test that part of the functionality. AirPlay icon on the right -- blue means it's working Select which destination you want to stream to In my testing, AirPlay has worked not just in apps you'd expect it to work, like the iPod and YouTube apps. At least in the iOS 4.2 gold master, AirPlay will stream audio from any app, including games. Before you get too excited by the prospect of playing Canabalt's awesome soundtrack through your surround sound system, there's an important caveat: there's a delay of approximately two seconds between actions on your iPhone and output from external speakers, caused by the encoding and decoding of the audio stream. In other words, if you're playing Flight Control on your iPhone and streaming audio to your stereo over AirPlay, sounds will be delayed by two seconds or more. Obviously this is less than ideal, so it's somewhat surprising that Apple's enabled AirPlay at all for these kinds of apps. In apps specifically designed for AirPlay, like iPod and YouTube, the iOS software is smart enough to delay video output on your iPhone so that it syncs up with the audio stream. You can watch music videos or movies on your iPhone and play the sound over AirPlay to external speakers. This is a truly "gee-whiz" feature, and it's almost sold me on the idea of getting an Apple TV so I can stream video, too. Click "Read More" to see the rest of iOS 4.2's features on the iPhone.
