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[1.Local]: Questions, answers from our readers
Reader comments – ahh, yes, the juicy goodness following a meaty post. [1.Local] ducks past the swinging doors to see what readers have been chatting about in the back room over the past week.The comments section is usually a cacophony of voices seeking to agree or disagree with the main post, discredit previous commentors or make some pointless point ("first" -- /facepalm). This week, readers pulled together in a more truly interactive relationship, offering up questions, tips, insights and well thought-out suggestions and ideas. Take a trip through the pickings this week on ways to make professions more interesting, more Star Trek Easter eggs, getting real about DPS, copyright issues, snappier headlines ... and even a post devoted exclusively to guild and player recruitment notices.
Stealth detection items nerfed
I tried to make a "stealth nerf" pun in the headline, but it just wasn't coming to me. Anyway, Blizzard has decided that items that grant stealth detection were feeling too mandatory in arenas, "forc[ing] players to use lower level equipment even when more powerful items were available to them." Therefore, they've nerfed the lot of them. Ultra-Spectropic Detection Goggles can no longer be used in arenas. Epic engineering goggles will no longer grant stealth detection. Stealth detection on many other items (Catseye Ultra Goggles, Blood Guard's Dragonhide Gauntlets, Marshal's Dragonhide Gauntlets, Knight-Lieutenant's Dragonhide Gloves, General's Dragonhide Gloves, Bloodvine Lens, Knight-Lieutenant's Dragonhide Grips, Blood Guard's Dragonhide Grips, The Night Watchman) has been reduced. This hotfix is already live; tooltips are not updated, yet, but will be in the next patch (patch 3.1.2). What's your reaction to this? Obviously it's bad when people feel compelled to wear low-level items because they're overpowered (witness the Badge of Tenacity for Druid tanks), but is this going to lead to rogues becoming even more overpowered than (I hear) they already are?
Eidos Montreal's 'Thfourteeneff' now entering pre-production phase
Eidos Montreal yesterday unveiled its second project, the curiously named and nigh-unpronounceable "Thfourteeneff." Though many speculate the fourth-coming game to be the latest title in the acclaimed Thief series, the unproven developer (which is also hard at work on the controversial Day o' Sex 3) has revealed little else beyond the moody logo seen above. Those hoping for a more substantial reveal may have a long wait ahead of them, as the studio's general manager, Stéphane D'Astous, told IncGamers that Thfourteeneff has yet to enter the pre-production phase.With the conceptual stages behind it, Eidos Montreal is looking to hire an additional 40 designers, programmers, artists and other personnel to start full development and help "introduce this classic franchise to new fans." As for the target platforms ... well, who knows what we'll be playing on by the time the game arrives? "With the fast evolving world of hardware, there's a lot of things that will be happening in the following years so we need to be close to that," said D'Astous, "but either way, there's a lot of work to be done."It remains to be seen how much Thfourteeneff will share with its supposed predecessors, created by Looking Glass Studios and then Ion Storm. If concept art, purported to be from the latter studio's efforts (see it after the break), is to be believed, Thief could have been (and may yet be) set in a more modern milieu. For the time being, all we're certain of is that Garrett will find himself in a fantasy world where a "4" sort of looks like the letter "E."[Via VideoGamer.com]
Assassin's Creed 2 teaser site launches, includes severed arm [update]
It appears that the ANIMUS has been fired up once again. A teaser site has appeared for Assassin's Creed 2, along with a host of clues about the future of the franchise. While the teaser leaves a lot to the imagination, it does feature Leonardo da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man quite prominently, lending credence to the rumor that the sequel is set in the Renaissance era. Beyond snippets of 15th century artwork, the teaser site doesn't reveal any other details for the Assassin's second outing. The website does, however, include an interesting bonus: Printing off a logo of an artifact that displays at the end of the teaser video and holding it up to a web cam while on a special section of the website reveals a 3D model of Altair's hidden blade weapon -- which appears to be one of five images available. Spooky ... but, hey, marketing team! Wasn't Altair (and the rest of his assassin brethren) missing a finger?Update: Thanks to our commenters who pointed out a backwards message that says "Game Informer 04.16.09." Expect more Assassin's Creed 2 news soon!%Gallery-49391%[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Stealth's latest fanless mini PC: the Core 2 Duo-powered LPC-625F
Not that we're far removed from Stealth's last fanless mini PC, but hey, there's no harm in having options, right? The company's latest, dubbed the LPC-625F, is a 7.9- x 7.9- x 2.4-inch machine that somehow houses a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, your choice of 2.5-inch HDD or SSD, integrated Intel graphics, gigabit Ethernet and a surprisingly plentiful array of ports including HDMI, eight USB 2.0, RS-232 and DVI. The stock configuration sits at $1,595, but it doesn't take too many tweaks to cross the two large mark.
Stealth introduces Core 2 Duo-equipped LPC-650 Mini PC
Man, it's been awhile since we've seen any miniature machines from the labs of Stealth, but the outfit is returning over a year after introducing its LPC-350PCI with the even tinier LPC-650. Featuring a mildly attractive 6.54- x 6.18- x 1.89-inch aluminum chassis with a Core 2 Duo within, the micro PC is also stocked with gigabit Ethernet, a slot-loading optical drive, optional SSD, WiFi, 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a rather respectable array of ports including twin USB 2.0 jacks, HDMI, audio in / out and a RS-232 socket. Unfortunately, you'll be paying a serious premium for all the space savings -- it gets going at $1,595, and it's only up from there depending on CTO options.[Via AkihabaraNews]%Gallery-42414%
Rikimaru's turn to impress in Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
Okay, now we're at a crossroads. Last time, we said that Tenchu's Ayame was edging her counterpart Rikimaru out as the ninja to fear in Tenchu: Shadow Assassins. In this latest trailer, Rikimaru delivers his own campaign platform. Between his gravelly, menacing voice (good job, Ubi!), his lightning-fast movements, and, well, all those dudes he kills, he makes a pretty good argument for his own badassery. And at the end of the day, no matter which ninja is cooler, the real winner is ... whoever isn't a guard in feudal Japan.The trailer is after the break for reasons of violent, somewhat bloody content.%Gallery-25071%
Tenchu: Accent Assassins
We've taken two things away from this English-language trailer of Tenchu: Shadow Assassins: first, that Ayame is totally hardcore, and knows all kinds of ways to just kill a dude with her bare hands (and legs, and such). Although she has no compunctions about using weapons, either. Previous footage has presented Rikimaru as a badass, but for our money, Ayame is the scarier stone-cold killer.The other thing we learned is that in the absence of a large British population in ancient Japan, locals were unable to properly learn to imitate British accents. We're impressed with the accuracy with which Ubisoft has rendered this historical fact. %Gallery-25071%
Tenchu 4 devs worked to satisfy audiences of all skill levels
Acquire's goals with Tenchu 4 (Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, as they're calling it now) are pretty lofty. They wanted to create a game that expanded upon the classic Tenchu stealth gameplay in new ways that longtime fans and hardcore gamers would enjoy, while making the series more accessible. In this interview with 1up's James Mielke, Acquire's Keisuke Kanayama and Takuma Endo described the ideas that informed Tenchu 4's design. "... We looked at this game as a way," Kanayama said, "with the Wii and its motion control, to allow someone to really feel like a ninja playing the game -- really attacking and blocking and hiding." And yet, Acquire made sure to include the ability to "go through cities in different ways using different tools, and to explore at their own pace ... " That seems like the kind of smart design that truly takes advantage of the platform.The interview is also noteworthy for Acquire's rather diplomatic discussion of the Tenchu games developed in their absence, and the stories found within, as Endo alludes to in a statement about Rikimaru's apparent death in Tenchu and his mysterious resurrection later: "As I said earlier, we had our own ideas of where the story would go, but since it's already done, we will follow the already established Tenchu story where Rikimaru inexplicably survived."%Gallery-25071%
Two bonuses for Tenchu 4: Better boxart and bandana
The Tenchu 4 (or, rather, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins) boxart we spotted on Ubisoft's site didn't really meet with the Internet's approval. While the image on the official site has yet to change, retailer GameCrazy is displaying a different boxart, which is quite likely to be a newer revision of Tenchu's North American box image.We happen to think it looks better, though there's an odd mixture of art styles on display here due to the combination of art from the other American box and Japanese character art -- Rikimaru is a lot more realistic-looking than Ayame. After the break, have a look at the preorder bonus being given away at Gamestop. It's pretty nice, for a video game-related bandana.%Gallery-25071%
Spike VGA Winners: GTAIV snags game of the year
Here you go, a recap of all of last night's Spike TV Video Game Award winners that is viewable (in its entirety) after the break. And if you weren't already aware thanks to this blog's title, Grand Theft Auto IV beat out all other contenders for Game of the Year honors. It's a bit controversial to say the least, but then again, it is the Spike VGAs. Right? Gears of War 2 came away with a pair of the colorful monkey awards, one for best shooter and another for best Xbox 360 game. Fallout 3 also did well and Valve's Left 4 Dead had nothing to be ashamed of either. Clicky the linky below to view it all.
Tenchu 4: Surprise boxart attack
We don't know how long this preview boxart image for Tenchu 4 has been on Ubisoft's site. We suspect it hasn't been very long, because the name change (to Tenchu: Shadow Assassins) is a very recent development, showing up just last week on GameStop.com. The image is regrettably tiny, but detailed enough for us to see what's going on -- and what's going on is that Rikimaru is cutting the head off of whoever picks the game up off the shelf. We've enlarged the image a bit. It's not as beautiful as the Japanese box, but it does have a certain "video game ninja" quality about it.We're not sure the name change was the way to go; while Shadow Assassins is both more descriptive and exciting than 4, if we were Ubisoft, we'd want to emphasize however we could that this game was somehow different from all the other non-numbered Tenchu games not made by Acquire.If you're in a Tenchu mood, be sure to browse the official website. And if you're Australian and in a Tenchu mood, good news! The OFLC has rated the game for release.
Encrypted Text: Art of the peel
Every Wednesday, Chase Christian of Encrypted Text invites you to enter the world of shadows, as we explore the secrets and mechanics of the Rogue class. This week, we'll be talking about one of the most important things a Rogue can do that's not called 'DPS'.In WoW, we don't get to decide much about our characters. A few pre-built faces and skin tone are about as deep as the customization options run. Gear is typically released in discrete tiers, and you'll find that most Rogues use mostly the same leather sets. Talents are similarly stale: there are rarely true choices in our trees. Choosing one talent over another either cuts your damage or cuts your usefulness, and for most Rogues the decision is easy.Most people assume one Rogue is as good as another. Take two arbitrary Rogues, Gankenstein and Istabbedu. They're both undead Rogues: their chins are falling off. They're both sporting full Season 2 gear with a few PvE epics sprinkled in. And they both traded in their Slicers for Shankers & Shivs this patch; all aboard the Mutilate train. So what separates these two from each other, and from the other 9,000 Rogues on any given server?
Tenchu 4 videos are a neck-snapping good time
IGN has uploaded a whole bunch of new videos from the Ubisoft-published Tenchu 4. While they're lacking in ninja cats, they aren't lacking in depicting the other stuff that excites us about the game: stealth ,slaughter, and REAL ULTIMATE POWER. As much as this game could be bad, we're holding out hope it'll be like the Tenchu of old. Or, you know, fun. It's currently set to release in North America and Europe early next year.Sneak past the break to check out the videos.%Gallery-25071%
EVE and Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"
Sun Tzu: Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. The 6th century B.C. military treatise, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, serves admirably as a tract on corporate espionage and warfare in EVE Online's far future backdrop of New Eden. It is, after all, a corporation-dominated setting and game where player organizations perpetually fight for supremacy over their competitors. As The Art of War is required reading in some MBA programs, it stands to reason it could have some practical applications to a game based around military conglomerates. Warfare in EVE, while limited by game mechanics as to what's possible (as all games are of course), can have a heavy social component. Paired with the sandbox nature of the game, there are numerous possibilities in EVE that most other MMOs simply don't offer, or can't offer through their respective game mechanics. Much of The Art of War focuses on deception, situational awareness, and overcoming your opponents through cunning rather than brute force. Of course, brute force has worked rather well for some prominent alliances, but without strategic thinking guiding their campaigns, it would all come undone at some point. Strategy is the focus of a new series of articles from Black Claw of EVE Online blog "The Travels of Black Claw." He's just kicked off the first in this series based on a guide to warfare he created for his EVE corporation. First up is "The Art of War: Laying Plans" -- which deals with assessing your own organization and the relative strength of the opposition, then figuring out how best to counter that opposition. Black Claw stated that next up will be "Waging War." Sun Tzu's The Art of War also deals with topics like stages of a competitive campaign, the importance of varying tactics, and the use of spies. Assuming Black Claw continues with his guide along these lines, it should be an interesting series of articles.
Tenchu 4: Stealth waggle
There's been some confusion about the motion-control content of Tenchu 4, at least on our part -- how pervasive is it? Is it all waggle all the time, or is it basic Tenchu with added motion flavor? What we really needed was for someone to play it and describe it to us.According to Siliconera, motions abound. Spencer describes lifting the remote to jump and shaking left and right to dive behind bushes. Stealth kills are accomplished by following QTE-style button prompts. In fact, Spencer said the game "felt more like a path of rapid fire quick time events rather than a traditional stealth game." So the motion controls are pretty frequently used.%Gallery-25071%
TGS08: Sneak through the Tenchu 4 demo
You know, we've been watching Tenchu 4 for a bit now and we're holding out hope that it won't totally suck. Call us optimists or whatever, but we really thing the game can be a solid Wii title. For one, it's Tenchu and our fond memories of the early games keeps us hoping that the franchise will return to its roots again. Secondly, there isn't much in the way of compelling stealth-based games on the console, so a solid entry in the genre would benefit the library of games, in our eyes. Plus, it has kittens. Above, you'll see the first video of three that takes you through the entire demo build available at TGS 2008. Head past the break for the other two.%Gallery-25071%
When is it fair for classes to share?
Recently an interesting thing happened in the world of game design. To non-WoW players, it may seem like a minor detail, but it really shows an insight into the way that Blizzard designs their games.Rogues have, of course, been stealthy for a long time, and when word first dropped that hunters might be getting Camouflage in Wrath of the Lich King, we were pretty excited that some element of stealth might be added to our class too. Blizzard went back and forth on this ability, first putting it in, then taking it out, then putting it in again, and finally taking it out again. In the end they decided that it was just too similar to the rogue ability, and they didn't want to blend the classes together too much. This was about the same time that they gave rogues a new ability, called Tricks of the Trade, which looks a lot like the hunter's ability, Misdirection.To one player who asked what was up with this unfairness, Ghostcrawler spoke up and explained some of their design philosophy. She started by saying that they have 10 classes now, and they have to add more in every expansion. The "lazy-designer" way to handle this kind of situation is just to find an ability that works for one class and just give it to another. This would end up leaving the classes without enough to distinguish them all individually, and it's something they wanted to avoid. So why was Misdirection an okay ability to share, while Stealth was not?...
Still images of Tenchu 4's motion controls
Tenchu 4 may purport to be a "return to form" thanks to the return of original developer Acquire, but it won't be exactly like the old games. While they've all had context-sensitive controls, Tenchu 4's will, of course, involve motion. Sometimes you'll be waving the Wiimote downward to put out lanterns, and sometimes you'll flick the remote left and right to stab someone in the back. We've seen motion at work in Tenchu 4 before, but these new screens show a bit more.It's nice to know that Acquire decided on the WIi as a platform for Tenchu for reasons other than the low cost of development. For our tastes, traditional controls with a bit of added motion work great for action games.%Gallery-25071%
Tenchu 4 sneaks onto North American and European rooftops in early 2009
Ubisoft's distribution deal with From Software and Acquire will benefit would-be assassins in North America and Europe early next year. The company has announced that they'll publish Acquire's Tenchu 4 in both regions within that time frame. People who go on and on about the lack of "core games" for Wii: here you go. This is one of those.Along with the announcement, Ubisoft sent IGN the first English-language trailer, made mostly of footage from previous trailers with new English narration. It's cool and atmospheric enough to make us think that maybe this Tenchu really will be good, unlike all those other recent Tenchu games.
