The PC Spotlight 11.06.08
Posted by Chris Vicari on 11.06.2008
Gaming philanthropists, EA target of buyout, new Stardock game, user comments and much more!
Welcome back to another weekly installment of the PC Spotlight. It's been one hell of a week thanks in no small part to the U.S. elections and PC gaming is gearing back up for more before things get dull again. Wrath of the Lich King and the new Call of Duty game are hitting shelves next week and I can only fathom the sales numbers for the WoW expansion. I'm sure it'll break more records than Burning Crusade. Also, remember that if you pre-ordered Left 4 Dead, you get to play the demo starting today. Other than that, there are some good bits of news for you guys this week and oddly enough, I received two reactions to last week's column so I'll be revealing those as well. Onward!
Wall Street Journal: Disney should buy EA
Electronic Arts, known for its reputation as a publishing company hell-bent on buying up any small gaming company it can find, is on the hot seat and could even be a target of corporate takeover. This past Saturday, a Wall Street Journal article proposed that Disney should acquire EA due to EA's horrid quarterly report.
"In a bold call in Saturday's Heard On The Street column, the Wall Street Journal proposed that Disney (DIS) ought to buy Electronic Arts (ERTS). The piece note that the timing is right, after a significant earnings miss last week knocked down the video game publisher's stock 18% on Friday. The piece concludes that "Disney would be gutsy to step up during the current economic uncertainty. But it might be better than waiting for better times and paying top dollar."
...EA does have a lucrative sports franchise that includes the Madden football games; Disney owns ESPN. It's an interesting theory. But I would note that it appears simply to be a theory, not something that the Journal believes is happening right now."
Never thought I'd see something like this.
Reports saying EA forum bannage results in purchased games becoming unplayable are nothing but rumors
Trolling internet forums and messing with people are two of the best things about the internet. I'd consider it one of my pastimes, as sad as that may seem, but it's always a sure-fire stress reliever. You may have heard about reports floating about the net last week that EA has taken a stance against trolling by forbidding you, the lovely forum troll, from playing games you paid for if your EA forums account is banned. There was even a post made about it by an EA community manager on the C&C Red Alert 3 forums.
Here's the post:
"Your forum account will be directly tied to your Master EA Account, so if we ban you on the forums, you would be banned from the game as well since the login process is the same. And you'd actually be banned from your other EA games as well since its all tied to your account. So if you have SPORE and Red Alert 3 and you get yourself banned on our forums or in-game, well, your SPORE account would be banned to. It's all one in the same, so I strongly recommend people play nice and act mature.…"
It turns out that this information is completely false. A post made by GameCyte confirms it:
"EA has taken the time today to definitively squash this rumor. "Players who have been banned from EA Forums are not automatically banned from online access to their other EA games," an EA representative told GameCyte.
"Posting in EA Forums is enabled by an EA Nucleus account — but access to the forums and access to the games are separate.""
And there you have it.
Steam Cloud released with Left 4 Dead demo
While I'm sure we're all exceedingly happy with the Left 4 Dead demo released today, Valve provided yet another little gift for our pre-orders with their new Steam Cloud service. Steam Cloud is a free extension for Steam and it stores application data online allowing users to enjoy a consistent experience on any PC. Information stored by Steam Cloud includes keyboard, mouse, and gamepad configurations, as well as multiplayer settings such as spraypaint images.
"For some time now, Steam has allowed gamers to log on from any computer in the world and access their applications. This also makes it easy to upgrade a PC without worrying about losing your games," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "Steam Cloud is a natural extension of the portability Steam affords gamers and developers, and we intend to expand its feature set as it is used in Left 4 Dead and other
games coming to Steam."
Steam keeps getting better and better.
New Company of Heroes expansion announced!
THQ Inc. announced this past Monday Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, the next standalone chapter in the widely acclaimed real-time strategy franchise. Featuring three campaigns, brand-new multiplayer modes and an innovative "direct-fire" feature that allows even more tactical control during the heat of battle, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor will immerse players in some of the most historic, tide-turning clashes of World War II. The game is currently scheduled for a spring 2009 release.
Can't wait.
MMO Calender sales go to sick kids Story courtesy of Gamepolitics.com
It's always nice to see that the gaming industry has its fair share of philanthropists and this time it comes in the form of an MMO Calendar. Back for a third return in time for 2009, the MMO Calendar showcases our favorite MMOs and will only cost $12.95. All proceeds go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Games found in the calendar include:
* Age of Conan
* DC Universe Online
* Dofus
* EVE Online
* EverQuest II
* Free Realms
* Guild Wars
* Pirates of the Burning Sea
* RuneScape
* The Agency
* Warhammer Online
* World of Warcraft
Purchase one at www.mmocalender.com!
Freeman's Hazard Suit property of the United States Navy Story courtesy of Gizmodo
According to Gizmodo, a popular technology weblog about consumer electronics, the Office of Naval Research is funding a team at the University of California San Diego to begin developing a power suit similar to Gordon Freeman's.
"The system will monitor a few biomarkers for deviations from safe levels, at which point it will automatically medicate its wearer...
...the military applications are what's exciting about this. Take a current soldier's body armor, night vision goggles and communications equipment, throw in an automatic medical treatment unit and voila! You've basically got Gordon Freeman's HEV suit. There is no indication that the suit will make the satisfying hhuummuhhuummuhhuumm" sound like Mr. Freeman's, but there's no indication that it won't, either.
Awesome stuff.
New fantasy strategy game courtesy of Stardock Quoted bits from press release
On election day, Stardock announced its next PC game, Elemental: War of Magic.
Like other Stardock titles such as Galactic Civilizations and Sins of a Solar Empire, Elemental: War of Magic will include no on-disk DRM and will be available for re-download and updates through the Impulse digital distribution platform regardless of purchase location.
"Elemental: War of Magic is set in a world filled with magic and ancient lore. As the ruler of your kingdom, you must expand your empire through a combination of magical power, military might, diplomatic skill, technological advancement and bold adventuring. Your worlds will be of your choosing, or players are free to create their own.
Harnessing the technology of ImpulseReactor™, ground-breaking multiplayer modes include traditional skirmish modes as well as a persistent universe mode. Additionally, integrated modding support allows players to submit maps, items, creatures, races, technologies, spells, buildings, environments and much more from right within the game and become available to all players of the game seamlessly."
Expect a public beta in mid 2009 followed by the release in the beginning of 2010.
EVE Online's Quantum Rise free winter expansion on the horizon
First released in 2003 by Icelandic developer CCP, EVE has garnered many awards for its robust content, completely player-driven economy, graphics, and player vs. player combat. Unlike other MMORPG's such as World of Warcraft, where players are spread out amongst dozens of servers, EVE gives its subscribers the opportunity to interact with every individual player currently logged in.
It is now 2008, and CCP has finally green-lit its latest expansion, Quantum Rise, for a November 11 release. Quantum Rise is currently the ninth free expansion for EVE Online to date, with EVE's forthcoming Ambulation expansion, which allows players to exit their ships and walk around in stations, next on the list. Several of Quantum Rise's major additions include:
• The introduction of In-game Subscription Services. You can now convert your 60-day EVE Time Codes (ETCs) into two 30-day items in game. These "30-Day Pilot's Licenses"can be traded freely through all regular means (via market or contract or directly between players) and can be activated at any time.
• Assembly Array upgrades for those wanting to produce on a grand scale
• Alchemy allows moon materials to shift the whole landscape of Tech 2 production
• UI changes include a moveable HUD, module recharge timers and weapon grouping
• More efficient bomb production. Producers get more boom for their materials.
• Upgrades to the Trinity Premium graphics content for the ubiquitous stargates of New Eden
• A rebalancing of ship speeds for vessels of all sizes to rediscover their combat viability, making player vs. player strategy and tactics more important than ever
• 10 new beautifully haunting music tracks by EVE soundtrack composer RealX\
For more info go to http://www.eveonline.com/features/quantumrise/
See ya space cowboy.
Missing gamer found dead
After almost a month of searching for gamer Brandon Crisp, who has been missing since October 14 after an argument with his parents over Call of Duty 4, it was reported by CP-24, a Toronto TV station, on November 5 that Crisp was found dead.
Police have found the body of missing Barrie-area boy Brandon Crisp... He was found on Fifth Line in the Barrie area...
A massive search was underway for the teen in Shanty Bay on the Oro Medonte Rail Trail, just outside of Barrie, since his disappearance on Thanksgiving Day.
Last week, a second witness confirmed seeing Crisp on the trail the night he disappeared.
In an interview with CTV news, Sgt. Dave Goodbrand of the Barrie Police stated the following, "At this point we believe it to be Brandon, and we're still obviously in the early stages of our investigation, It's not confirmed because nothing's confirmed until we have pathology, but we believe it to be Brandon... [Brandon's parents are] obviously distraught by the information."
What a tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to Crisp's family and friends.
And that's it for the news this week
The Mailbag
Never said I was good at Photoshop. :)
For the first time ever, I actually received comments about one of my columns. Crazy, I know. Both were in response to two different stories from last week's column.
DWC4529 discusses the underrated LOTRO MMO and how it deserves its fair share of praise
I am a major MMORPG gamer, and as such, part of your recent article about the new star wars MMORPG brought up an interesting concern I have with 99% of all writers that write about MMORPGs. At the moment, I am mainly playing a MMORPG called Lord of the Rings online. This is in my opinion the pinnacle of the Massively Multiplayer gaming experience, and yet almost nobody gives it the credit it deserves. Before I go claming my case, I would like to point out that I have also played WoW, I played it for two years. Now, for the nitty gritty. LOTRO has been out for about a year and a half now. In that year and a half, LOTRO developers turbine have released more FREE content than WOW has in its entire lifespan, including paid expansions. The game has some of the greatest parts of many mmos all mixed into one package, like player housing, great raids, a music system, faction reputation/rewards,fun PVP (LOTRO calls it PvMP for Monster Player) and much more to come in their new expansion, the mines of moria. A huge innovation comes with mines of moria, the legendary Item system, in which a weapon or class item levels up with the player. Gone are the days of spending an arm and a leg for a weapon, just to replace it a few levels later. With this system, your weapon grows as you grows, becoming stronger, and more effective, just as the enemies you fight start getting stronger and stronger. I have played the beta for MoM, and I must say, that in the short time LOTRO has been out, IT indeed is the WOW killer, its just that too many people have their heads stuck too far up blizzard's proverbial ass to give it a chance.
Oh, and one thing that LOTRO has that you will never get with wow? One of the greatest stories in the history of literature to go off of. The epic storyline that goes with the books is just that, epic. Has any one moment in WOW ever given anyone goosebumps just from a storyline standpoint? I don't know, but I know for sure the first time I stepped foot into moria was the defining moment in my years worth of MMO playing. Nothing I have experienced in ANY mmo topped that.
For the love of god, I wish people would give LOTRO the respect it deserves. The greatest MMO of all time? Right now I'd say its pretty darned close, but with the literal treasure trove of storyline it has left to go from, I can surely say that it's only just getting started.
Thanks for reading my column and I appreciate you taking the time to write a response. I, like you, am also a humongous MMORPG player, been playing them for about 11 years now and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Played Ultima Online for eight years and nearly every other MMO on the market, sadly except for LOTRO, and I am currently enjoying EVE right now. Let me be frank though, I can't stand WoW. I really can't. I think it's a terrible MMO and I quit playing it a long time ago. The only category that WoW will ever be "king" in is subscription numbers. That's it, and that's basically what my comments against The Old Republic were going for. I don't think it'll top the subscription numbers, and that's all.
As for LOTRO, as I said in the paragraph above, I've never played it. But if what you say is true, and that it gets massive content updates for nothing, has a beautifully crafted storyline and plot, as well as unique game elements, than it is a damn shame it doesn't get the credit it deserves. As for the best MMO of all time? I really can't say one way or another, but I'm sure it's the best for a ton of people out there. For me, my favorite and the best MMO in my opinion was Ultima Online, until EA killed it of course. There are many, many WoW killers out there and you're right, nobody acknowledges them. People assume subscription numbers equal success and people genuinely think it's a good game because of it. I think in a debate that's called the Bandwagon Effect.
JimR argues that Stardock will never be the savior of the DRM issue
Before people glamorize Stardock too much, maybe they can explain why they sell games on their Impulse system with Securom. That I received a personal message when I asked the CEO about it, and he stated and I quote "If EA wants to sell Spore on Impulse with Securom he wouldn't have a problem with it, that he doesnt dictate what publishers use on his service." So is he really a proponent for anti invasive DRMs or just taking advantage of the outrage? If he feels so strongly about this why allow titles with the very thing he is against be sold on his site?
There may be more, but I've had my post removed when I exposed this information. I was a huge fan of Stardock, I saw them as the leading publisher in helping customers fight invasive DRMs. Yet to say one thing, and do another is just to me pathetic. I think all this Bill of Rights and egging on companies to drop their DRMs is just this CEOs method of getting attention for his company. Trust me, having been a huge supporter of the company, I was totally let down by this, angry at his response, and even angrier that my post was deleted. So before painting Stardock as a shining light, you might want to look in their closets, they have a few ghosts to hide. Apparently business is business and the CEOs ethics are another. He's the last person who should be screaming at the top of the hill when he's allowing the same DRMs hes against to be sold on his site. Okay its been stated on the site that it contains Securom, well it really makes it no difference to me, either live by your convictions or get off the loud speaker. They may as well call themselves Steam, they are no different, they sell games with Securom and Starforce. So by the CEO at Stardocks logic, impulse may see titles sold on Impulse with Starforce, since he "wont" tell publishers what they can use for copy protection on his site. The fact that you have to register the game online with Impulse should be protection enough.
Damn interesting indeed, perhaps Jim is right and Stardock may not be what gamers were hoping for.
That's it for the mail
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