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Smart London buses get real-time map and empty seat displays
Struggling to the top deck of a moving bus only to find it full can be a bit embarrassing, but Transport for London is considering new technology to help spare your blushes. As seen by London blogger Ian Mansfield, TfL are trialling screens that display seat availability on the upper deck, as well as ones that show the current position of the bus while displaying the names, locations and expected arrival times of future stops on a real-time map. The seat map apparently doesn't use sensors installed in the chairs, but the existing CCTV cameras to work out capacity. Such features will obviously favour tourists trying to make their way around London, but also those who don't want to be glued to their phone for travel updates. To assist commuters, TfL also ties in travel alerts into its map guide, letting you know if a nearby Tube stop has any issues before you jump off the bus.
London's Tube stations to serve up live World Cup scores alongside train times
There's going to be no escaping the World Cup when travelling on the Tube over the coming weeks. To supplement Virgin Media's WiFi hotspots, which'll let you check scores on your phone, ESPN has linked up with Transport for London (TfL) to bring scrolling news, results and score updates to platform screens and entrances in more than 140 stations. The sports broadcaster is said to have stumped up around £100,000 for the privilege, and will kick off proceedings on June 12th, when hosts Brazil meet Croatia, continuing until July 14th, the day after the World Cup final. If you find yourself heading out in London to catch some of England's late-night matches, you'll almost certainly be reminded of the team's performances (whether they're good or bad) on your way home.
London Tube and buses begin trialling smartphone payments (again)
Despite suggestions that NFC payments were too slow, London's Tube and bus networks appear ready once again for some contactless disruption. According to the Financial Times, both EE and Vodafone have engaged in talks with Transport for London (TfL) to provide mobile wallets that will let travellers pay for their ticket using only their smartphone. It's part of an effort to expand beyond the successful but costly Oyster card and follows TfL's recent upgrades enabling Tube barriers to accept contactless cards. Those changes opened support for NFC payments, which simply need to be activated. Should trials be successful, commuters may soon be able preload their Tube fare from a platform, ticket office or escalator in one of a hundred WiFi-connected London Underground stations.
Transport for London launches prize to design accessible travel app
App developers in the United Kingdom take note: Transport for London has launched a prize for developers who are able to create London public transport apps that cater to users with physical or communication barriers. In a recent blog posting, the TFL recognized that for years, mobile applications have been helping disabled people better assimilate information. They hope offering up to a £5000 prize in an Accessible App competition will spur a growth in the number of London transport apps that disabled people have available to them. "The primary objective is to focus the functionality around the needs of the passenger group. Blind or partially sighted passengers, deaf or hearing-impaired passengers and those with learning or motor difficulties could all benefit from the clever use of phone functions, good design and useful features to access our services," TFL said on its website. "Older people who find conventional information challenging may also benefit from a design that allows minimal interaction, easy route planning, simple navigation and journey guidance. What you design is up to you." A submitted app needn't address the needs of all disabled passengers. For example, the developer could solely focus on designing an app for older people who find conventional information challenging. Another developer could design an app solely to help blind people navigate. The key is simplicity and prizes will be awarded in several different categories. In order to be eligible, apps must be submitted to the TFL by Friday, August 30, 2013. Guidelines of what the judges are looking for in accessible London travel apps can be found here.
The Firing Line: On Destiny, Tribes GOTY, and Ghost in the Shell
It's been a pretty eventful week for online shooter news, and The Firing Line is back to help you catch up on all the tidbits you might've missed. Since we've got so much to cover, what say we skip the usual game journo intro puns and get right to it?
The Firing Line: Arctic Combat hands-on
Poor Arctic Combat. It's not that there's anything majorly wrong with Webzen's new 8v8 shooter. It's actually a fun little diversion. Unfortunately, it went into open beta close to PlanetSide 2's launch, which means that a lot of PC shooter fans are probably still embedded on Auraxis and unaware of AC's existence. I first saw the title at last summer's E3, where the PR folks at Webzen and the devs at Battery Studio were kind enough to let me get some hands-on time with a pre-beta build. Fast forward six months and I found myself messing around with the open beta and launch client this week. I also found that my opinion of the game is largely unchanged.
London buses now accept NFC contactless payments, if you have the magic logo
Transport for London has emailed customers to announce the activation of NFC contactless payments on the city's fleet of 8,500 buses, despite any hiccups on the tube. From today, anyone who swipes a debit, credit, or charge card with the logo shown after the break should theoretically be allowed onboard for the same single fare as a traditional Oyster Card user. That's £1.35 instead of the £2.30 cash fare. The logo can also be found on Orange's Quick Tap-enabled Galaxy S III, but the official email makes no explicit mention of any smartphones being compatible. If you have the guts to swipe your GS III over the reader and test it, please let us know if it works (and it's probably better to try it discreetly, in case it doesn't). Customers are also being advised to avoid swiping wallets which contain two potential payment methods -- such as an NFC card and an RFID-based Oyster Card -- so they can control which card gets billed.
The Firing Line: Banning aimbotters in the age of F2P
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley made headlines this week when he smacked down hackers, aimbotters, and various PlanetSide 2 ne'er-do-wells via his Twitter feed. Aside from the comedy value inherent in the CEO of a major corporation engaging in a public joust with employment-challenged neckbeards, the incident resonates because it shines a spotlight on the herculean task facing SOE and any other developer that decides to enter the skill-based competitive gaming realm.
The Firing Line: Nope, your FPS can't do what PlanetSide 2 does
Earlier this week, SOE released a cocksure trailer that asked viewers whether their FPS did all the things on display in PlanetSide 2. If our comment section is any indication, the clip was perceived as over-the-top and a bit premature due to the game's various launch issues. In my mind, though, it made a legitimate point, and while it's clear that the devs have a lot of work ahead of them, it's also clear they've already managed to create one of the year's must-play MMOs. They've also made this long-time shooter fan question the need to play any other shooter.
The Firing Line: PlanetSide 2 in a thousand words or less
PlanetSide 2's launch sneaked up on me. It's not that I didn't know it was coming this week, but I had resigned myself to watching from the sidelines on account of not having a guild and spending most of my MMO time in SOE's DC Universe Online. I couldn't help it, though, as the seductive lures of sci-fi and a huge open world conspired to consume most of my Tuesday evening and a good bit of Wednesday morning. Here, then, are a few initial thoughts in no particular order.
The Firing Line: Star Citizen shouldn't be EVE with joysticks
I've been spending a lot of time on Star Citizen's forums of late. And when I'm not doing that, I'm replaying Wing Commander, Wing Commander II, and Privateer (thanks GoG) and generally wetting myself with excitement for Chris Roberts' newest space sim. The one thing that gives me pause, though, is the unsavory player type that SC is already attracting. You know the guys I mean. They're PvPers, which is great, but they can't type a sentence on a message board without using the word carebear a minimum of three times while making sweeping generalizations about the playstyles, sexual orientation, and parentage of any and all who dare to disagree with them about what makes gaming fun. That said, I like PvP and plan to engage in Star Citizen's version of it. I'm not naive enough to think that the no-holds barred nonsense being advocated by some in the game's pre-release community will result in anything other than a niche title, though.
The Firing Line: Exclusive Blacklight Retribution Evac Q&A
It's been a while since The Firing Line took a look at Zombie Studios' Blacklight: Retribution title. The sci-fi shooter, published in conjunction with free-to-play giant Perfect World, has added quite a bit of content since that pre-launch preview, and more is coming this week courtesy of the Evacuation Update (including a new map and premium/private server functionality). Join us after the cut for an exclusive chat with Zombie devs on that and more. %Gallery-126205%
The Firing Line: On Star Citizen, DUST 514, and DayZ
Welcome back to The Firing Line, folks. While I don't have any nifty sequel announcements or contentious community issues for you this week, I do have some interesting tidbits on three upcoming shooters that you might have missed. Join me after the cut for a chat about Star Citizen's hardcore aspirations, DUST 514's PC potential, and DayZ's upcoming standalone client.
The Firing Line: Hi-Rez talks Global Agenda 2
Three cheers for Hi-Rez! In addition to providing me with a no-brainer of a column topic this week, the Atlanta-based development firm is also gifting its fans with a reboot of Global Agenda. The original GA launched way back in February of 2010, and while it remains one of the more enjoyable online games I've ever played, it has fallen on hard times. Hi-Rez shifted its focus to Tribes: Ascend prior to GA's free-to-play conversion, and the latter game's population steadily declined to the point where Dome City and the various instances surrounding it were a haven for tumbleweeds rather than lobby shooter fans. Can GA 2.0 build on the original game's rock-solid foundation while avoiding its missteps? Let's discuss that with Hi-Rez COO Todd Harris after the break.
The Firing Line: On Firefall forum censorship
The Massively tip line is a curious creature. It's cantankerous, unpredictable, and just as likely to bite your leg as it is to rub itself against your shins and let loose with a rumble of contentment. Despite the low signal-to-noise ratio, we do get useful info from our tipsters, often in the form of breaking news, obscure and interesting tidbits, and ideas for further coverage. This week's Firing Line falls under that last category, as we received word from one tipster that something is rotten in the state of Firefall.
The Firing Line: DUST 514 beta impressions
I haven't played DUST 514's beta in a while, so I figured that this week's installment of The Firing Line was a good excuse to give it another go. As for first impressions, my initial session some months back wasn't worth writing about (plus there was that pesky NDA thing). It was also quite a short session that I've basically forgotten, so my intent today is to jot down some proper thoughts about CCP's new EVE-inspired shooter based on a solid evening of uninterrupted playtime.
The Firing Line: What DayZ means to core gamers
The death of the core gamer has been greatly exaggerated. Yes, MMORPGs (and gaming in general) have kowtowed to the influx of new-school players flush with cash but lacking time, and the genre has reinvented itself and turned its back on virtual world enthusiasts in the process. There's still hope, though, and so far it's not coming from any of the usual sandbox suspects in the MMO space.
The Firing Line Extra: Wargaming.net producer talks World of Warplanes expert mode, tech trees, and more
It's been an interesting few weeks for Wargaming.net. The firm has re-branded its World of Warships title, acquired BigWorld via a blockbuster $45 million purchase, and hinted at more simulation-style gameplay for its forthcoming World of Warplanes shooter. I forwarded a few questions to WoWP producer Alexander Zelulin about those very topics, so join us after the cut for a quick look at what the firm is thinking with regard to its next World War II-themed multiplayer title.
The Firing Line: This is not a PlanetSide 2 NDA violation edition
For the record, I really, really wanted to write about PlanetSide 2 for this week's Firing Line. Alas, NDAs or some such. Blargle, bollocks, and boo-hiss on all of that. Anyhow, there is more to the MMO shooter space than Sony Online Entertainment's sci-fi sequel, right? Guys? Yeah, OK, as intros go, this one is pretty weak. But like I said, I'd rather be talking about that time when I [edited] a Terran Republic [edited] outside of [edited] but it was [edited] [edited] [edited] Mosquito. That's not all, as we also [edited] and then [edited] [edited] by some [edited]. Oh, right. We can't talk about that just yet, so join me after the cut for this week's most interesting non-PlanetSide 2 shooter news.
The Firing Line: PlanetSide 2, Tribes, and Heroes & Generals updates
Not a bad week for shooter news, wouldn't you agree? Let's see, we had PlanetSide 2's heart-pounding Death is No Excuse CG trailer. We also had a huge Tribes: Ascend update. While those two juggernauts get plenty of press coverage, one shooter that's still operating relatively under the radar is Heroes & Generals. If you've read The Firing Line before, though, you know I'm a big fan of Reto-Moto's browser-based World War II title. Follow me past the break for the latest updates on that and more.
