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01/14/2007 - 01/20/2007
The Great Divide
One of my many hobbies (ranking up there with hitting the 'random' button on Wikipedia for hours on end) is checking out what's hot in gaming just by walking around the GameSpy headquarters after hours to see what people are up to. In theory these guys have access to tons of games (although most of us still can't find a Wii), so it's cool to see what people play in their spare time. And while some titles are popular with everyone across the board (Guitar Hero is constantly raging in the break room), there's been a big split among the MMO players.The crew here at FilePlanet is taking the Vanguard beta by storm. (You can still get in the Vanguard Beta by pre-ordering the game on Direct2Drive -- players in the beta get a three-day head-start when the servers go live). I think Vanguard appeals to that gang for a number of reasons. All hardcore World of Warcraft junkies, they really hunger for something new. More importantly, a couple of these guys were serious EverQuest players and missed the challenge and teamwork those old MMOs fostered with the harsher, more unforgiving gameplay.
Meanwhile, down the hall, the GameSpy.com Editorial team has been tackling the World of Warcraft expansion with heart, mind, body, and soul. You may have been reading the running commentary blog. The expansion is a quality product! Burning Crusade shows a kind of mastery of the craft -- Blizzard's designers are clearly comfortable with balancing out Quest design and the new content is in many ways even better than the original.
I count myself among the Warcraft players for the time being. Speaking of which, I know that the Blood Elves are supposed to be an egotistical, self-centered, downright evil race... but don't the quests sometimes seem a little heavy-handed?
-Fargo
Today's Geek Stuff:
- New WoW Toys Coming -GameSpy
- Oblivion Expansion Pack Announced -GameSpy
- Call of Duty 3 Firing Blanks -IGN
- Eidos Pieces Together First Wii Game -IGN
- Halo 3's New and Improved Assault Rifle -IGN
- Gaming Expo Coming to Perth -IGN
- Boom Boom Rocket: First Screenshots -TeamXbox
- Activision Trademarks Guitar and Drum Villain Names -TeamXbox
- Call of Duty 3 Valor Map Pack Available Now, New Screens -TeamXbox
- NPD: WoW Pushes 1M in '06, PC Games Up 1% -Next Generation
- ELSPA Wants London as 'Global Games Capital' -Next Generation
- NPD: PC Games Bring Industry to $13.5 Billion in 2006 -GameDaily Biz
- John Carmack: "Gamers Don't Need Vista/DX10" -DailyTech
- Who Wants 1UP? -GameDaily Biz
- Microsoft XNA In-Depth Primer -GameCareerGuide
- Life Inside Bungie Studios -Edge Online
- A Wii Laptop!? -Endgadget
- Top 10 WoW Exploits of All Time -via Digg
Mod News:
- Battlefield 2142 - Northern Strike Officially Announced -Planet Battlefield
- Battlefield 2142 - Northern Strike Trailer -Planet Battlefield
- Battlefield 2 - Battlefield 40k -Planet Battlefield
- Oblivion - Shivering Isles officially announced! -Planet Elder Scrolls
Hardware Links Courtesy of Voodoo Extreme:
- Boards: abit AW9D-MAX Mainboard - Xbit Labs
- Boards: Gigabyte 965P-DS3P rev 2.0 - TechSpot
- Cases: NZXT Adamas Premium Crafted Chassis - Overclockers Club
- Cooling: Vantec Iceberq 6 VGA Cooler - Big Bruin
- CPU: AMD Quad FX Megatasking - Hexus
- Mice: Ideazon Reaper Gaming Mouse - XS Reviews
- Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-8000 - Neoseeker
- Memory: OCZ FlexXLC Edition DDR-2 PC-9200 Memory - Tweaktown
- Memory: Patriot PC2-6400 2GB Dual Channel Memory Kit - Viper Lair
- Power Supply: HuntKey HK500-13BP 500W Power Supply - MadShrimps
- Video: HIS X1950Pro 256MB AGP - 3DGameMan
- Video: XFX 8800 GTX XXX - Bjorn3D
Readers Respond to Vista and Indie Games
Earlier this week I posted some notes about Windows Vista and the ramifications it might have to the indie and casual game community. In short, some industry insiders were worried about the heavy-handed security features in Vista that would make it hard to download and install lots of small "free-trial" style indie games. But what do YOU think?I was lucky enough to get responses from lots of readers who've been using Vista during the testing cycle. And a majority of you who wrote in had a similar message: At first, the constant security reminders and pop-ups from Vista are irritating, but you get a great feel for what's being installed and run on your computer, and most readers started to appreciate it. So are game developers are overreacting?
"Windows Vista is the next best thing to come for PC gamers. How hard is it to type in a password? You already do that to check your email, login to your PC, ETC. Whats one more?" -Thunder
"I've been running Vista for a bit now... The only time you need to have the Admin password or run the install as an admin is if the program itself requires that you be an admin to do the install (the way it writes data or modifies dlls or something)... Now, whenever you want to install something it'll give you a pop-up saying 'so and so wants to do X, do you want to allow it?' It really bugged the hell out of me at first until I went to a web page and all of a sudden it pops up when I never clicked on anything to download. My irritation turned to a "thank God" and then I wondered how many web pages actually do that. I've started to like the security model in Vista... The more I think of it the more I see adherence to a security model a good thing. Does it mean it's easier on Devs? No, makes it harder. But, it does mean it's easier on folks like me and the greater number of folks that know a hell of a lot less than I do." -Tim Manley
Naturally, anyone who works in IT or manages lots of machines loves the Vista model:
"I worked for several years in college sites (faculty) where we had to GHOST all machines in the labs weekly because of student installation of such things. Microsoft is just responding to a demand from large net administrators. It is not funny to have to reload 1500 stations while trying to keep your stations available... So I say, 'Thank you, Microsoft, for solving a real headache.'" -John Winterton
Similarly, moms and dads wrote in relieved that Vista errs on the side of being too secure:
"IMHO, indie games are indirectly responsible for much of the (sometimes overblown) security in Vista. Most of the attacks that I've experienced over the years have been from me or my kids installing something that purported to be a cool little game installer. I'm not saying that the game industry itself is in any way responsible; however, this kind of download has historically been a vector for viruses and spyware... yes, [extra security] is annoying, but it's a lot less annoying than the hours it takes to get rid of an infestation." - R.Brian Lindahl
Indie game developer Philip Saltzman has been using Vista, and noted that his demos ran fine on the system without asking for admin privileges. "My games work, XNA will work, and hundreds of other casual games will work," he tells us. He goes on to point out that WildTangent (whose CEO kicked off the debate with this essay in GamaSutra) might have his own motives:
"Now WildTangent is in a different position. Most people who have the WildTangent driver never knew they were installing it. Many people think it's spyware. If your brand and games have so little value and credibility to your customers that they won't click 'yes' to installing it so you instead need to sneak your software on a computer then yeah, you'll have a problem with Vista. As a computer user I prefer knowing when something I didn't intend is installing itself. But Vista will certainly not kill the casual games business." -Phil Saltzman
Of course, before I sign off, I should point out that some readers agreed that Vista might put the squeeze on the gaming scene. GameSpy reader Jeero pointed out that he eventually found most of the Vista warnings comforting, but then some boxed retail games started to give him problems. Case in point: Guild Wars. Guild Wars quietly installs game patches and updates to your system in the background while you play, which is one of the game's biggest strengths -- it's a seamless experience. Unfortunately Vista doesn't like that -- in Jeero's words "another windows warning popped up, saying that it Could not Allow the connection to the server (and really wasn't planning on changing its mind)." Of course, that was with a late beta version of Vista, and may change once it ships.
So the final verdict? Sure, there may be some bugs to work out, but most gamers will appreciate the extra security at the end of the day. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
-Fargo
Today's Geek Stuff:
- Shivering Isles Cast Chill over Oblivion -IGN
- Guitar Hero Changing its Tune? -IGN
- Gates Blasts Nintendo and Sony -IGN
- Rockstar Vienna Still Rocking -IGN
- THQ Eyes Consoles for Real-Time Strategies -IGN
- Boom Boom Rocket: First Screenshots -TeamXbox
- World Series of Video Games Finals Broadcast Schedule -TeamXbox
- Rainbow Six Vegas Using Dynamic In Game Advertising? -TeamXbox
- Slate Says Gears of War Was Best of Year -Slate
- Bethesda: Don't Call Shivering Isles 'Crazy' -Next Generation
- Gates Notes Competitor 'Failings' -Next Generation
- 30 Million Online Gamers in China -Next Generation
- Is Blu-Ray a Good Medium for Games? -Ars Technica
- Canadian Video Game Industry Approaches $1 Billion -GameDaily Biz
- Fans Go Wild for Guitar Hero Encore -GameDaily Biz
- WoW Player Hits Level 70 in 28 Hours -Pro-G
- Why Not to Score a Hole-in-One in the German WiiSports -via Digg.com
Mod News:
- Half-Life 2 - Revolt: The Decimation Teaser Trailer! -Planet Half-Life
- Battlefield 2142 - Battlefield 2142 Booster Pack: Northern Strike -Planet Battlefield
- Battlefield - Battlefield Modcast: Episode 10 -Planet Battlefield
- Oblivion - 14 Added/Updated Oblivion Mods -Planet Elder Scrolls
Hardware Links Courtesy of Voodoo Extreme:
- Cooling: Spire VertiCool 3 Heatpipe CPU Cooler - Tweaknews
- Pads: Func F10.S Large Mouse Pad - techPowerUp
- Video: BFGTech GeForce 8800 GTX Water Cooled Edition - [H]
- Video: XFX GeForce 7600 GT Fatal1ty Edition - Guru3D
- Video: The Silent XFX Fatal1ty GeForce 7600GT - HWUpgrade
A New Year, a New FilePlanet...
When I accepted the position as Editor-in-Chief of FilePlanet.com last year, I made a steadfast resolution for 2007: to make the site extra more better. That's a tall order. Lesser men would settle for "more better." Not me.But what does that mean? How do you make a download site worth visiting every day? I've rolled out a number of changes already, with more on the way, to keep you hooked to one of the cornerstones of the GameSpy/IGN network.
I want to hear YOUR feedback. How is the design working for you?
Talk to me! -Fargo
Today's Geek Stuff:
- The Burning Crusade Launch Event Coverage -GameSpy
- Rogue Galaxy Q&A, Japan team -GameSpy
- Blockbuster Video Top Ten Video Game Rentals -GameSpy
- World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - The Week 1 Blog -GameSpy
- Dell Celebrates Release of WoW:TBC With Special Auction -GameSpy
- EA Exploding Onto Live Arcade -IGN
- StarCraft 2 on the Way? -IGN
- Half-Life 2 Orange and Black Box Contents -IGN
- Crysis Averted -IGN
- Xbox 360 Deal: 12 Month Xbox Live Vision Gold Pack -TeamXbox
- Wishlist for Future Sequels -VoodooExtreme
- Gabe Newell: "PlayStation 3 Is a Total Disaster" -TeamXbox
- New XBLA Title from EA and Bizarre -Next Generation
- 50% of Retailers Holding PS3 Stock -Next Generation
- Breaking: Guitar Hero Development Goes to Neversoft -GameDaily Biz
- Microsoft Targeting China for Xbox 360 -GameDaily Biz
- Why Do Old Computers Turn Yellow? -VintageComputing.com
- Games Might be Healthy for You! -Healthday.com (Via Wired)
- Crazy Little Zelda Flash Game -Via Digg
Mod News:
- Half-Life 2 - Dystopia Version 1 Information & Media -Planet Half-Life
- Half-Life 2 - Episode Two Orange & Black Box Details -Planet Half-Life
- Half-Life 2 - Eternal Silence - Beta 2 is Coming -Planet Half-Life
- Morrowind - 10 New and Updated Morrowind Mods -Planet Elder Scrolls
Hardware Links Courtesy of Voodoo Extreme:
- Audio: Creative GigaWorks T20 speakers - Hexus
- Cases: NXZT Lexa Case - Motherboards.org
- Cases: Sunbeam 9-Bay Acrylic Case - ThinkComputers.org
- Cooling: Spire VertiCool 3 Heatpipe CPU Cooler - Tweaknews
- Mice: Logitech MX Revolution Mouse - Trusted Reviews
- Mice: Razer Death Adder - XS Reviews
- Power Supply: Hiper Type M 730W Quad SLI Power Supply - PC Apex
- Storage: 2007 HDD Rundown: Can High Capacities Meet High Performance? - THG
- Video: ForceWare X Vista 100.30B x86 & x64 Drivers - HardwareXL
- Video: Gigabyte GeForce 7950 GT - [H]
Will Vista Crush the Indie Gaming Scene?
After a series of delays, it's almost here: Windows Vista. While the release of a new Windows operating system is pretty exciting stuff for most people, a core group of casual and indie game developers are worried about what the new OS will mean for their business. Specifically, Microsoft's heavy-handed approach to installing and managing games. The outlook isn't too bad for large boxed retail products, which will be neatly categorized and organized by Vista in a special gaming area. But for small games, especially "Try-before-you-buy" shareware and demos, the new OS sets up plenty of roadblocks to make the experience as rough as possible.Alex St. John, one of the architects of DirectX and now the CEO of casual gaming powerhouse WildTangent, published an essay about Vista in GamaSutra:
"We [WildTangent] have found many of the security changes planned for Vista alarming and likely to present sweeping challenges for PC gaming, especially for online distributed games. The central change that impacts all downloadable applications in Vista is the introduction of Limited User Accounts... In Vista, LUA's are mandatory and inescapable... The principal user experience problem with LUA's is that when a consumer wants to download and install a game demo off the Internet, they must first click past the IE warning dialogs, and then respond to the security elevation dialog Vista pops up requiring an admin account name and password to enable the software installation." - Alex St. John
Additional problems include a built-in ratings system using ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) standards that treats "unrated" games as dangerous and may block them with parental controls. Since most indie or casual games can't afford to have their product rated by the ESRB, this places them into a software ghetto within the new operating system.
Microsoft thinks that small developers are overreacting, and that the impact on the industry will be minimal. Chris Donahu, the Group Manager for Games for Windows, points out that the goal of Vista's game integration is to make the game experience more seamless and user-friendly, like the kind of experience people get on consoles. He defends the OS in this Hollywood Reporter story reprinted in GameDaily.
Here at GameSpy, we're in the midst of verifying Vista compatibility with all of our software. It's a hard row to hoe -- you want to make your software as easy to use as possible, but requiring an administrator password with every install is a nightmare. On the flipside, I've applauded Microsoft for supporting indie gaming with Microsoft XNA. While it's not the first time that branches of the company appear to be at cross-purposes, hopefully the Microsoft gaming group as a whole can come to some sort of consensus that will help small game developers to get their products out there to people. Thoughts? Mail me!
-Fargo
Today's Geek Stuff:
- Rogue Galaxy Exclusive First Look -GameSpy
- The Sims Lapping it up -IGN
- Ghostbusters Game Busted -IGN
- The UFC Returns to Videogames -IGN
- Mario Marching to the UK -IGN
- Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Info, Images and Videos Leaked -TeamXbox
- EA Announces UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 -TeamXbox
- Sony Hits PS3 Ship Target 2 Weeks Late -Next Generation
- Blizzard 'Wives Help Shape Azeroth' -Next Generation
- THQ Signs New Fighters -Next Generation
- Xbox Live TV & Movie Revenues Forecast to Top $726M by 2011 -GameDaily Biz
- Vista Not So Beautiful, say Casual Devs -GameDaily Biz
- Spore to Have Random, Non-Looping Soundtrack -Joystiq
- Mario Wall Art! -Digg
Mod News:
- Half-Life 2 - Iron Grip: The Oppression Update -Planet Half-Life
- Half-Life 2 - Insects Infestation Released -Planet Half-Life
- Battlefield 2 - Forgotten Hope Update -Planet Battlefield
- Battlefield 2 - Swedish Forces Update -Planet Battlefield
- Battlefield 2 - Point of Existence Update -Planet Battlefield
- Oblivion - 21 Added/Updated Oblivion Mods -Planet Elder Scrolls
Hardware Links Courtesy of Voodoo Extreme:
- Boards: Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI - HotHardware
- Boards: ASUS Striker Extreme - Tweaktown
- Boards: Gigabyte 965P-DS3P - Legion Hardware
- Cases: Thermaltake Aguila - Bjorn3D
- Cases: Thermaltake Armor LCS Aluminum Case - Boot Daily
- Cases: Thermaltake Armor Jr and Thermaltake Aquila - Xbit Labs
- CPU:AMD's Opteron 2000 Series Processors Take On Intel's Xeon - GamePC Labs
- Memory: Crucial Ballistix 2GB Kit DDR2-1000/PC2-8000 - OCInside
- Memory: Kingston 2x1GB PC2-5300 FB-DIMM Memory Kit - Virtual-Hideout
- Mice: Logitech VX Revolution Laptop Mouse - Modders-Inc
- Mice: Razer DeathAdder Mouse - 3DGameMan
- Mice: Razer Krait Gaming Mouse - GGMania
- Power Supply: Young Year YP-AB Transparent Power Supply - Hardware Secrets
- Wheels: Thrustmaster Rally GT Force Feedback Pro Racing Wheel - Inside Track Magazine
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