Voxels are “volumetric pixels”, essentially the big blocks that we have come to know and love in Minecraft. Smaller versions are often used in terrain. Castle Story have released their first gameplay demo so that you can see how they have used them:

The game uses the Unity3d engine which means it will be Windows and Mac based. A recent request for questions on Facebook was filled with “When can I give you my money?” requests.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

So, what have we got for next year? 2012 looks like it will be a fast-paced, epic crusade as the game makers fight it out to spoil our imaginations with a flurry of new games. Here is MMORPG Info‘s lookout list for 2012.

Number 10

World of Warcraft – Mists of Pandaria (PC) – sometime 2012

We may have featured this more highly if it was any other expansion. Although this is on our watch list, it’s more an intrigue to see what Blizzard will reveal. Have they completely lost the plot? To be honest, we suspect this will be fairly lame and targeted at the younger player base. It could spell the end for the legacy that is World of Warcraft opening the door to another MMORPG. Will it be SW:TOR? Will it be Guild Wars 2? The jury is out and we will be watching closely to see how this unfolds.

Number 9

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (360, PS3)

If you have the slightest interest in this game, visit their website. It is a thing of beauty and the game looks certain not to disappoint. FF XIII-2 was released in Japan on December 15th but the rest of us will have to wait until the New Year to get our hands on a copy. As well as some pretty awesome reviews, it seems to be accompanied by an equally impressive combat system. We’ve been blown away by the trailers and expect nothing less from the game.

Number 8

The Darkness II (360, PS3, PC) – February 7^th

We nearly fell off our chairs when we found out another instalment to this game was imminent. Who doesn’t want to run around with killer snakes sprouting from the shoulders, running through subway stations popping off bad guys? The original was a gripping story and with any luck, the sequel will not disappoint. Hiding in the shadows as Jackie Estacado sending forth darklings and now, the added bonus of shooting stuff whilst attacking with snakes out should make combat exciting. Apparently the graphics have been made more in keeping with the comic book, which should add to the already rich atmosphere of the game.

Number 7

Mass Effect 3 (360, PS3, PC) – March 6^th

Could it be the end of the Mass Effect era? A nice touch here is the game choices made in Mass Effect 1 and 2 can be carried forward into Mass Effect 3. For this reason, if you haven’t played the first two, then we highly recommend you go ahead and do so, not least for the story. No doubt this release will leave us saddened as the last instalment in an epic game series but still, its arrival is much anticipated.

Number 6

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD (XBLA, PSN) – Summer 2012

Shouldn’t Tony Hawk have chronic arthritis of the knee joints and surely he must be about a bajillion! Very possibly he does and is but it doesn’t stop this ongoing series of skateboarding madness being the gaming industry’s equivalent to crystal meth. I might not be out on the street on my skateboard but I know goofy when I see it and can tell my flip tricks from my grab tricks. Can you combine them into an epic combo of insanity?

Number 5

Tomb Raider (360, PS3) – Q3 2012

Fantastic! Lara Croft is back in her usually tight shorts and tight t-shirt attire! The screen shots look promising and even if the game is pants, as long as they keep the handstand ability, it’ll keep us amused for at least a couple of hours. One things for certain, if they decide to make a movie of this, the movie makers will have a hard time passing off poor old Angelina as a 21 year old. One for the wishlist is a recreation of the ‘swimming with sharks’ level.

Number 4

Halo 4 (360) Q4 2012

We’ve not got much to say on this other than we know it’s coming and the title is enough to get us perched on the edges of seats peering at the ‘watch this space’ place on our monitors.

Number 3

Chainsaw Lollipop (360, PS3) – Sometime 2012

It’ll probably be free to download off Steam within two weeks but who cares? Cheerleader, chainsaw… WOO HOO! If this game isn’t just a case of run around mindlessly carving up zombies, we will be disappointed. It needs no plot, just amusing death and a healthy side order of gore.

Number 2

Guild Wars 2 – (PC) – Sometime 2012

Guild Wars 2 has entered closed beta testing and our fingers are itching to get a shot on the new instalment of this MMORPG. Interesting professions, a unique class system, a decent focus on PVP amongst many other things may set Guild Wars 2 apart from the norm. It will be exciting to see how this fairs against SW:TOR. Perhaps a breath of fresh air if you’ve been on a WoW marathon… like forever… if you want to try something new, give this a whirl.

Number 1

Diablo III – (PC) – Sometime 2012

Ah, Blizzard! Hopefully this is where all your gaming talent is hiding out because they most definitely have vacated the WoW building. With fond memories of Diablo I and II, how can we not reserve the supreme spot for the anticipated delicacy which will hopefully be Diablo III? Blizzcon teased us, the trailers and reviews are leaving us begging for more and the screenshots look incredible. What more is there to say?

Posted by Yaznee on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

No comment necessary, eh?

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

So, really not my playstyle, no big deal. As a result, I don’t actually know much about the game. But thank goodness, there’s always Wikipedia for a quick introduction:

Dead Island – Wikipedia

Dead Island is a first person horror action-adventure video game developed by Techland for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It is centered on the challenge of survival on a zombie-infested open world island with a major emphasis on melee combat.

The game hasn’t had an easy launch in the U.S. and is apparently beset by bugs.

News : 2011-09-07 Dead Island Steam Update

Here’s the latest from us on Dead Island PC for North American users. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused to fans who wanted to spend their day crushing some zombie skulls. Thank you very much for your continued patience and support and we are completely committed to ensuring that you have an excellent time with our game.

· First, the correct version of the title is now available on Steam and fans are able to download it now.

· Second, the day 1 patch notes in their entirety are below. Please note that this update may cause incompatibilities between the incorrect version of Dead Island that was released and the fixed version and cause a wipe on some saved data. However, we have a solution to help regain some quest progress: When the game opens, select New Game -> Select the same character as you were using before, and then there will be an option for “Chapter Select” which will allow the player to jump to the last chapter they were playing in.

· Third, Deep Silver plans to announce a “make up” to North American fans who were affected by the day 1 PC issues, stay tuned in coming days for those details as internal discussions are ongoing on our end.

· Fourth, the Bloodbath DLC is still on schedule as planned – fans who preordered the title will still receive the Bloodbath DLC when it launches (date will be announced shortly!) as stated previously.

· Fifth, we are aware of The Ripper activation bug which will not load as a result of the version update and this will be fixed in the next game patch, coming soon.

So, not a lot to see here, really. But as a result of the bugs, people have been looking at the code to see if they can see what is going on. Browsing the Something Awful Forums, it turns out there’s some interesting sub-text.

You can choose one of four characters to play, One of them, Purna, is a VIP bodyguard with an interesting backstory.

From the Purna – Dead Island Wiki we have the following description: “Purna is a former officer of the Sydney Police department. After losing her career when she killed a child molester who could not be touched legally because of his wealth and connections, Purna then turned to working as a bodyguard for VIPs in dangerous places all over the world. She is hired not just for her skills but her looks as wealthy men did not mind showing up with Purna on their arm.”

Sounds like an intriguing character, doesn’t she? It turns out, Purna has some interesting skills. Specifically, Feminist Whore skills.

You think I’m kidding, don’t you…

Apparently, Steam user AlekseiVasiliev was browsing through the files, looking to find out what he could tweak. When he took a closer look at Purna’s abilities, he noticed something unexpected hidden in the depths. He posted his findings to the Steam Users’ Forums:

Data0.pak\Data\default_player_setup.scr

Code:

sub Skills_Purna(){
	Skill("TeamSpirit1Purna");
	Skill("SharpApprenticePurna");
[...]
	Skill("TeamSpirit2Purna");
	Skill("FeministWh*rePurna");
	Skill("MeleeDurabilityPurna");
[...]
}

Note: in the file the skill is called “FeministWhorePurna”. The tactful asterisk in the middle was added by the poster.

Purna also has a “Gender Wars” skill which does 15% additional damage to male characters. Internally, the skill is called “Feminist”. Some have put forward that this was a partial renaming of the Feminist Whore skill but I don’t see it. And honestly, defining “Feminist” as “hurting men” is pretty screwed up all on its own, don’t you think?

According to Eurogamer.net, Techland are disturbed by the reports.

“It obviously violates professional and ethical standards at Techland and should never have happened,” Blazej Krakowiak, international brand manager, told Eurogamer. “We’re investigating this right now and we’ll issue a statement later.

“For now, I can only express my sincerest apologies for this incident and assure you that whoever acted so irresponsibly did not represent the views and opinions of Techland.

“I’m equally sure that aside from the author of that unfortunate line of code, everyone at the office is as disturbed by this as you are.”

I’m glad they acknowledge that it is inappropriate. Still, I don’t know about you, but I can’t see how only one person saw that skill-tree within the development team.

If you watch Purna’s Character Bio on YouTube, she’s clearly intended to show a “strong female” in the male-dominated FPS genre. This makes the code all the more upsetting.

I keep reading that women gamers are the big up and coming market but it’s disappointing that there are still so many game developers who see us as an alien race. Worse, who think that if we believe in ourselves it is damaging to them. It’s just … tiring. Not even the cash incentive of a booming games market seems to be registering on the radar of these guys.

TOP TIP: if you are looking to sell games to women, maybe you shouldn’t refer to your female characters as Feminist Whores, even “behind closed doors” where you don’t think it’ll be noticed. No charge for that one.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Classes

It has been stated that there will be 5 classes, which, in keeping with typical Dungeons and Dragon’s roles, will most likely be Fighter, Barbarin (or Paladin), Wizard, Cleric and Rogue. No further information has been given on this matter.

The Foundry

Perhaps the most interesting feature announced as of now, is the fact that people will be able to design their own quests and dungeons, with traps, encounters and NPCs, among others, utilising “The Foundry” which will launch as part of the main game. No details have been given on whether rewards such as gold or experience will be available for these custom dungeons. You can see some (rather small) screenshots here if you are curious.

Backstory

The overarching plot of the MMO will be based off a trilogy of books by renown author R.A. Salvatore, with the first book, “Gauntlgrym”, already out. This should give player a rich story to go along with the rich city of Neverwinter, which has been in use in both the RPG games Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, as well as the 1991 AOL MMO, by the same name.

Hopefully more details will come soon, as well as a release date, but until then you can keep track of the game and discuss it with other fans at the site and forum located at http://www.playneverwinter.com.

Posted by Conot on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Everything, that is, as long as you have a Y chromosome.

I would like to add an inciteful commentary to this but honestly, the only words I can come up with are “What the fuck?”

Are there other restrictions ? Yes. Nothing ruins a good LAN party like uncomfortable guests or lots of tension, both of which can result from mixing immature, misogynistic male-gamers with female counterparts. Though we’ve done our best to avoid these situations in years past, we’ve certainly had our share of problems. As a result, we no longer allow women to attend this event.

Yes, seriously.

This is apparently a wonderfully caring way to deal with immature, misogynistic male-gamers! Why has no one ever thought of this before?

It took me a little while to stop saying “what the fuck?” long enough to write this post, in which time the original invitation was edited (although the above text is still there under restrictions).

The organisers of the event are concerned that people might get the wrong idea about their intentions.

Now to address your concerns about this being a male misogynistic only type of event where men close the door to all women because we’re male pigs and hate women. Please put those thoughts away. There have been some really good points made on redit, and we don’t want to give the wrong impression.

What we aim to do is to have a great event where men are better men for it and come home to be better husbands, fathers, and gamers. The wives and girlfriends of many of the men that go to these lans often look forward to them going and recharging their “man batteries”. Those same wives and girlfriends in turn go out and spend time with their friends or go to women only girls nights.

Yes, us wives and girlfriends are SO GRATEFUL to you for BANNING WOMEN so that your macho man batteries (What the fuck? Sorry, it slipped out.) get recharged. I’m sure there are legions of women sighing happily that you are dealing with immature and misogynistic behavior so elegantly!

There’s a good comment stream on Reddit regarding the issue. Luckily, there are many people (of both genders) who are able to explain the actual issue better than I can.

TaikongXiongmao comments on Denied Access To a LAN: “We no longer allow women to attend this event”

Having a guys night is fine and dandy, but if your reason is because “there will be bullies so we’re not allowing the victimized,” that’s not cool. Punish the bully, not the bullied.

donnashowl comments on Denied Access To a LAN: “We no longer allow women to attend this event”

The fact that they are willing to give up good female gamers over their friends who make misogynist comments says that they do not value female gamers as gamers. Which means they probably don’t as people, since gaming interactions are largely about respect and shared interest.

Legally, they can do what they do. I just don’t think it’s ethical to exclude women in this manner. I think it’s paternalistic and insulting. It would be one thing if there were a disclaimer that a woman must stoically accept the misogyny or be removed… along with the person being rude. But it’s not like that. No, bros before pros, apparently.

If it were more explicitly painted as male bonding, I could even dig the exclusion of women.

But the way it’s put is just wrong. What they’re doing is not the problem. It is how they are doing it. An act can be ok, but the stated intent behind it be awful.

Yeah, what they said. Also, what the fuck? Come on, guys.

Luckily, we have a LAN party happening right here this weekend. No restrictions as to attendance. I’m off to play with some real men.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Global Agenda (MMOFPS)

Global Agenda was a pay-for game for a long time. You paid for the software but then there was no charge to play on the servers. Now the game has gone completely free: the software is available on Steam. The game was for a long time somewhat of a competitor to Team Fortress 2, offering similar class based combat. It’s fast, frantic and, if the trailers tell you nothing else, explosive. Certainly a fun one to pick up for a good 30 minute playing session and then drop.

Champions Online (MMORPG)

One of the successors to the City of Heroes Superheroes genre (the other being DC Universe Online). This game plays like one of the good ol’ MMORPGs, with little changed from the default formula. It certainly has a nice aesthetic, although pop up balloons with “WHOMPF” and “BAMP” and the like are noticeably absent. The customization is a large feature of this game, with almost any hero you can imagine being capable of creation, and a diverse number of powers available, from arcane magick to the simple blade. Certainly a game for anyone who ever imagined being a superhero.

Spiral Knights (MMOAA: Massively Multiplayer Online Action-Adventure)

Spiral Knights is certainly the black sheep in the family, having a very different sort of gameplay. You play a Spiral Knight, a small clockwork soldier working to help your land recover by adventuring in 4 man dungeons, using both sword and gun to solve puzzles and defeat monsters. There’s certainly a very Zelda-ish feeling to the whole thing, with equipment and levels being the only extraneous factor. Certainly this is a game you can pick up,
play one dungeon and drop, but it lacks any real hook other than the puzzles, which are the only thing to really spice up dungeons.

Alliance of Valiant Arms (MMOFPS)

A game very reminiscent of Left 4 Dead, in this FPS you play one member of a four or five man group, progressing through the stage against mutated humans, completing objectives to get to the end. AoVA (or AVA) also has classes and skills, which means every person can bring something different to the match.

Forsaken Worlds (MMORPG)

Perhaps the most traditional MMO on this list, a fantasy class based RPG, there’s not much original here, but certainly there’s no reason to mess with a formula that works. With five Races and five Classes to choose between, they’ve stuck to basics, making this a worthy RPG to spend your time earning levels and loot.

Team Fortress 2 (Multiplayer FPS)

Perhaps one of the best known FPSs of modern day, trumping even its older brother, Counterstrike. This game, developed by the creators of Steam, Valve, has for a long time required the purchase of the software, but offers one of the most frequently updated FPSs of all times, with new content and patches still being put out almost weekly. There are 9 distinct classes here, with each class having a plethora of unlockable weapons (unlocked either through achievements or being found during playtime), there’s something for everyone in this game, and now that its free, its a game for everyone to enjoy.

Alien Swarm (Multiplayer Top-Down Shooter)

Another Valve product. This was produced by two developers who started it as a student project. They were hired by Valve and finished it off there, before releasing it for free on Steam. The game has enjoyed massive popularity, and still has a healthy playerbase to this day. The game revolves around objective-centered progression through levels, with 4 players playing 4 classes (where anyone can play any class, in any quantity, although a Hacker is sometimes required for a level). The game is fresh and original, but only has one campaign.

Within the next few months, hopefully well see more and more free games signing up to Steam, and hopefully this will become a new stage in the development of Steam.

NOTE: All of these games utilise a micro-transactions or subscription service, where certain features or weapons are available only to those who pay real world money for the privilege of using them, however, none of these are unplayable without paying

Posted by Conot on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

You should have acted.
They’re already here.
The Elder Scrolls told of their return.
Their defeat was merely delay
Til the time after Oblivion opened.
When the sons of Skyrim would spill their own blood
But no-one wanted to believe.
Believe they even existed.
And when the truth finally dawns,
it dawns in fire.
But…
there is one they fear.
In their tongue, he’s Novak’leen Dragonborn!

Bethesda haven’t announced a release date yet but you can follow their Facebook fan page to keep up to date on the news: The Elder Scrolls on Facebook.

I can’t wait!

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

The Dungeons & Dragons Virtual Table > D&Di Announcements > The Wizards Community

It’s time for a look at the next digital product we’re working on for D&D – The Dungeons & Dragons Virtual Table! The D&D VT is an online tool that Dungeon Masters and adventurers can use to run and participate virtually in D&D tabletop adventures. The tool has a whole bunch of features such as dungeon tiles for making maps, monster and character tokens, avatars that can be statted out and initiative and attack rollers.

The Virtual Table (VT) The VT is a web-based Java application with integrated voice chat. It requires a constant internet connection during use. Effectively, the application is an integrated collection of online tools including:

• editable map
• movable tokens
• a dice roller
• character and monster information storage
• condition tracking
• text and voice chat

You can apply to help beta test the system by signing up as a user at Wizards.Com User Administration. The first batch of players have already received access to the tools and some basic reports are appearing online.

This video shows one of the testers first impressions as he’s loaded up the tools:

You can also see screenshots of the tools in The Wizards Community Image Gallery and there’s an official Q&A thread to ask beta testers for more information the forums.

A more general discussion of VT and online play spaces is available at Tor.com: Playing Tabletop Dungeons & Dragons Online.

I’m somewhat concerned about the restrictions inherent in the system and the fact that the pricing model has not been confirmed. My Monday night game is played on OpenRPG: Online Virtual Tabletop and although it would be nice to have software that was somewhat more polished and stable, it’s hard to beat the flexibility … let alone the price.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

I know it’s early days yet but I’m cautiously hopeful about the Warhammer 40K MMORPG:
Previews – E3 First Impressions – MMORPG.com

The game play looked great, there were Titans in the world and marines blasting away with their bolters. Orks wildly driving around and screaming as Orks do. At one point in the trailer we do see the UI pop up and I have to go back and pause it to see what they are working with and if any clues to the design of the game come up. There appeared to be a lot of different Space Marine chapters in the game just by seeing the armor sets they were wearing. Things do move fast in the trailer, but many of the fans I saw at the show were pleased.

I don’t know about the gameplay of this one but I can’t stop watching – it’s just so damn pretty:
E3 2010: Rez creators Q? announce Child of Eden – Boing Boing

Kinect sounds like it has real potential. Also, I like the idea of getting an advantage just because I’m short:
Kinect Can Sense Children, Adjust Difficulty on the Fly

Playing around with upcoming Xbox 360 Kinect game Joy Ride I asked the developers about playing the game with friends and children. They told me that the game can tell, based on the skeletal anatomy of a gamer, if they are children and then automatically adjust the difficulty.

What if, I asked, someone tried kneeling to cheat?

That won’t work, I was told, because Kinect would notice that the player was missing the knee joints.

What if the player were a little person, or perhaps just really short.

That, could cause a misdetect, giving the shorter gamer the competitive edge in a race.

This announcement sounds like it really expand gamers view of the Tolkein saga:
Snowblind Studios – Announcing The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

“With The Lord of the Rings: War in the North we are taking a mature approach to the widely celebrated property with authentic portrayals of battles and all new storylines,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Utilizing the award-winning and passionate development team at Snowblind Studios, we are looking to evolve the RPG experience and deliver The Lord of the Rings game fans have been waiting for.”

“In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Snowblind will deliver an action RPG for core gamers featuring authentic narrative and environmental locations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original The Lord of the Rings,” said Ryan Geithman, Founder and Studio Head of Snowblind Studios. “This game is a natural evolution of the acclaimed RPG gameplay that Snowblind has consistently delivered over the past years. Players and fans will experience an innovative approach to online co-op gameplay, woven throughout every facet of the game in a way that only Snowblind can deliver.”

I’m still sulking that this didn’t happen.
VG247 » Blog Archive » Rumour – Bethesda arming Elder Scrolls V announcement for E3

Bethesda’s arming a massive nuke for E3 in a week-and-a-half time: an Elder Scrolls V announcement, if what most of the internet is guessing rightly.

According to Abstract360, the latest issue of Famitsu has several companies confirming they still have surprises up their sleeves, including Konami and Ubisoft. But Bethesda’s surprise segment is marked with “secret”.

I’m hoping that Fallout: New Vegas will be awesome but getting worried:
Fallout: New Vegas Developer Interview – Twenty Sided

Twenty Sided: Nigel, thanks so much for granting the interview. First off, I’d like to know how New Vegas plans to court fans of the franchise who thought that Fallout 3 was lacking in story?

Nigel Droolbucket: Did you see the new GRENADE GUN? BOOM BOOM BOOM! Blow up your foes!

Although @xiombarg pointed out to me that this piece on the Bethesda forums is a lot more encouraging:
Fallout: New Vegas Fan Interview – Bethesda Softworks Forums

Will I be able to play, and complete, F:NV without killing anyone or anything, except perhaps in self-defense?
From Billy Ocean via Bethesda Blog

JS: Yes. There are ways to win the main plot by killing no one and by killing everyone. It was one of our initial design tenets. You will find it difficult to get by as a pacifist, and you will miss a great deal of content by killing everyone you meet, but it can be done.

Speaking of which, here’s a preview of Rage. Still looks like Fallout 3 meets Borderlands, though:
Hands-On id Software’s Rage from E3 2010 Live – G4tv.com

This is probably the PC game I am looking forward to most:
E3 2010: Portal 2 Impressions – First Look – Preview

In Portal 2, both Chell and GlaDOS return to Aperture after the company was destroyed. For reasons that haven’t yet been revealed, Chell apparently returns to the scene of the crime after a brief fly-through video that reveals a handful of the first game’s deadly, gun-mounted sentry-bots rusting away and the beloved Companion Cube trapped in a ruined glass cell. Shortly afterward, she meets Wheatley, a new “personality sphere” companion that inhabits a glowing blue sensor eye and has a voice and demeanor that recall Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle’s role as the bumbling and cowardly Sir Robin the Chicken-Hearted of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You first meet Wheatley suspended above the wreckage of Aperture blathering on about how he has finally achieved his freedom and can’t wait to descend from the guardrail to which he’s attached. He asks you to catch him and then reconsiders because he’s suspended a few feet too high above Chell, and then he reconsiders again and begs Chell to catch him as he drops, and then he lands flat on his eye sensor, because why would Chell try to catch a giant robot eye sensor, anyway.

And finally, I’m oddly tempted to take a look at this one:
E3 10: Hands-on with PixelJunk Shooter 2- Destructoid

Okay, I am going to make it official. Is everyone listening? Come closer. PixelJunk Shooter 2 is my game of E3. Granted, there is still a couple of hours left, and I could see something that blows my mind even more, but, so far, I have fallen madly in love with PixelJunk’s I-didn’t-even-know-this-existed-until-yesterday sequel for the PSN. (And this is coming from someone who thought nothing could top Kirby’s Epic Yarn or Donkey Kong Country Returns.)

It makes me a little sad, because it seems this clever little shooter is being completely ignored by the E3 masses. It doesn’t help that it is in a little booth surrounded by LittleBigPlanet 2, PlayStation Move, and 3D games, but, still, that is no excuse! This game is better than all of those hype grabbers!

Are there other E3 articles that I should have linked? Add them in the comments.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.