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Massively's WAR Camp: Tier 3 Scenario Guides
This week on the WAR Camp, we're hitting the scenarios again, and we're focusing on a couple of the offerings in Tier 3. In Tier 3, knockbacks really start to make a difference, with most classes by this point having received their knockback abilities. This allows for some new strategies in Tier 3 scenarios, and is reportedly the cause of a lot of keyboard-snapping and monitor-tossing, especially in a particular lava-ridden area -- you better believe it's one of the scenarios we checked out! Join us over the page to see the gallery guide from our trip to the molten rocks of Tor Anroc, and after that, we visit Talabec Dam for some bombing-run fun. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Mythos lives!
These have been some turbulent times for both Mythos and Hellgate: London. Following the closing of Flagship Studios, recent news revealed Namco-Bandai Games as Hellgate: London's saviors, while the fate of Mythos remained uncertain, but grim. However just over a week later, the Hellgate: London page at Namco-Bandai has already disappeared. In another turn of events, Gamasutra reports that Korea's T3 Entertainment, perhaps best-known for their online music game Audition, is seeking programmers for its new development studio in San Francisco: "T3 Entertainment is searching for creative minds to passionately continue development of Hellgate: London and Mythos, along with other new games, which are being published by HanbitSoft Inc." This may put to rest the dispute over IP which HanbitSoft was engaged in with Flagship Studios, as T3 Entertainment is HanbitSoft's largest stockholder. With any luck, the opening of a North American studio signifies a healthier future for both Mythos and Hellgate: London. We'll keep you posted, once more details become available.
Terminator 3: I'll be back, in a couple of weeks
We all have to wait a couple of weeks longer than expected to check out Terminator 3, Warner's first Blu-ray release with IME. The release date has been bumped from December 4 to December 18. It's been an interesting road to release for this title: an initial HD DVD-only release; then its announcement as a Blu-ray "catch up" disc; clarification that the PiP commentary would come from two copies of the movie on one disc rather than a single Profile 1.1 version; and now this delay. No word on what the cause for the delay is -- hopefully Warner isn't having to compromise the sound or video quality to make space for the IME version.
Warner: Terminator 3 on Blu-ray to include IME, but not Profile 1.1
Terminator 3 will be Warner's first Blu-ray release with IME, but it won't be the first to support Blu-ray Profile 1.1 features. High-Def Digest confirmed that Warner is including the PiP commentary from the HD DVD release by putting two copies of the movie on the disc, one with commentary and one without. This has been done before, most notably on The Descent, and should have the benefit of being viewable even on older (or newer) Blu-ray players. The bad news is that whenever updated hardware and software exists to support more BD-Java, there may not be anything new to watch for a while (we're hoping for The Matrix Trilogy).[Thanks, domerdel]
Warner's first Blu-ray catch-up title due in December
Although Warner is officially format neutral, some of their biggest titles are HD DVD exclusives. Warner has never came out and stated that it was due to Blu-ray's less than complete interactive layer, but it's been the general consensus. Now it seems those speculations were dead on, as the first Warner Blu-ray title with their "In-Movie Experience" will come to Blu-ray on November 3rd -- Terminator 3 has been available on HD DVD since September 2006. At this point it seems that only owners of the LG BH200 will be able to enjoy the new feature, but we'd expect there to be at least a few other profile 1.1 complaint players by then. Blu-ray fans can only hope that this is the first of many otherwise exclusive HD DVD Warner titles -- yes we're talking about the Matrix, which was promised this year -- to make it to Blu-ray this holiday season.
T3 Motion rolls out three-wheeled security vehicle
While it's not exactly the most imposing of vehicles, the folks at T3 Motion nonetheless hope this new three-wheeled wonder of theirs will catch on with police forces and other security-minded folks looking for something that's at least a little more substantial than a Segway. The biggest selling point, apart from its stylin' good looks, is its zero emission status and low cost of use, with it even going so far as to use LED lighting to further reduce the drain on its two rechargeable batteries. Of course, you likely won't end up seeing one of these involved in a high-speed chase anytime soon, with it topping out at a maximum speed of 18 miles per hour. Those with less demanding needs, however, can put these into service for a mere $8,000 apiece.
T3 article teaches the common folk how to use homebrew
You know, homebrew can be pretty intimidating: it uses big scary technical terms and comes with the possibility that your PSP will be "bricked." You may be one of the many that looks at our extensive homebrew coverage and weeps, wondering: "Will I ever be able to do that?" Well, T3 magazine wants to help. Entitled "Turn your PSP into a SNES, Gameboy and more!," the feature describes the steps necessary to transform your PSP into a homebrew platform. It states that you need 2.0 firmware or less, but don't forget that there have been a slew of downgraders that can transform even newer firmwares.The scan can be found here. There are only 12 steps, and each comes with a handy picture to walk you through the process. Have fun, if this is the guide you've been waiting for before making the dive into homebrew. But make sure that you remember: it still can brick your PSP, so be careful.
Microsoft to pull a PS3, place motion sensors in Xbox 360 pad?
In a recent episode of Gamertag radio, Peter Moore speaks out about the increasing complexity of video game controllers, comparing today's gamepads to the simplicity of the Atari 2600's button-and-stick joystick. He didn't exclude the Xbox 360 controller's design from criticism, mentioning that his 14-year old daughter found the controller somewhat confusing. Naturally, there was a point to his self-criticism; later on in the podcast he says that Microsoft is "doing a lot of stuff there. Nothing that we're ready to talk about, and we're not going to force anything that is not going to be intuitive and innovative."The most obvious conclusion to make from this statement would be that Microsoft is working on a new, simplified controller, which may or may not "borrow" the Wiimote's defining feature, although the part where Moore says that "[Microsoft is] not going to force anything that is not going to be... innovative" could suggest that simply slapping a motion sensor inside an Xbox 360 pad isn't on the cards.British tech magazine T3 points out that the company could possibly be working on a simplified controller--to be sold in parallel with the main Xbox 360 pad--designed specifically for Xbox Live Arcade games. The magazine reasons that the company won't want to make the Xbox 360 pad's ergonomic design obsolete any time soon, which lends credence to the possibility of a simplified controller designed to play simple games to compliment the "hardcore" 360 gamepad.[Via Engadget]
Microsoft denies author's claim of impending Xbox2Go
In a denial that should come as a surprise to no one (what, like they were really gonna tip their hand this early?), Microsoft's Xbox chief for Northern and Eastern Europe told UK tech site T3 "that we're not even thinking about handhelds at the moment." Neil Thompson's remarks came just days after the Internet was buzzing about a claim made by author Dean Takahashi in his new book, Xbox 360 Uncloaked, that said half of the 360 development team immediately began working on a portable 'box right after the next-gen console was launched last November. Thompson went on to say that although the big M has no plans to release a PSP-like device, the huge mobile phone market offers the company a "really good opportunity" to connect people with "other entertainment experiences." You heard it here first, folks: instead of wasting all that money on hardware development, Microsoft is simply going to develop an Xbox emulator for cellphones that lets you pull content directly from the Live service (either that, or Thompson was just toeing the party line in order to keep the wraps on this supposed Xbox2Go -- you be the judge).
Some Info on the Tier 3 Sets
IGN went out and collected a multitude of screenshots focused on these new armor sets. As we know from this morning's New York Times article, the sets will be 9 pieces (all of the usual armor slots as well as one ring). The pictures are somewhat blurry, but the print is legible and the visual concept of the sets are obvious. The armor show seems to follow the recent trend (with Dungeon 2 sets) of more subdued armor coloration (no bright purples here), which I'm perfectly content with. Update: Of course as soon as I posted that, I found some additional information (better organized, if nothing else) here.
Vonage prepping VoIP solutions for DS and PSP?
Although neither device has a true VoIP option yet, UK tech site T3 is reporting that "a source close to...Vonage" (i.e. a friend of a friend of a friend) has confirmed that the VoIP provider is developing WiFi calling solutions for both the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. We've known for awhile that both systems were capable of implementing the ol' VoIP, but other than a random blog musing we reported on last year, this is the first indication we've seen of a major player making moves in this direction. Even for a rumor, the details here are pretty thin, such as how Vonage plans to actually implement VoIP in the disparate devices -- the possibilities include a firmware update for the PSP, and either DSpeak-like software or an Opera-like cartridge for the DS -- or even a hint of when we can expect to see any products come to market. As you might expect, Vonage itself declined to comment on the matter when contacted by T3.
