Torchlight sets itself apart from other action RPGs with its intuitive, approachable interface, which enables gamers of all skill levels to quickly immerse themselves into the rich game play and varied world of Torchlight. The level randomizer will ensure that each adventure is unique, with different monsters, treasures, puzzles and items for players to find, defeat, and unlock. Through a powerful suite of development tools, Runic Games will empower players and game enthusiasts alike to create and share their own content and levels.
"We do have a couple of products in development which are PC-lead, that are not announced yet," he said. "That doesn’t mean that that content isn’t also going to show up on console, because it will."
"But the pedigree of the team and the primary focus of the design is around the PC, and the largest forecast is on PC for at least one of these projects."
A Steam client update is now available. To apply the update, click the File menu inside of Steam and then select "Check for Steam Client Updates...". The specific changes include:
Steam Client
• Fixed issue with scroll bars on HTML pages not showing after javascript DOM modification changed page height
• Fixed issue where Steam can not be closed after playing Section 8
• Fixed Champions Online keys not always being available when Steam first starts
The unfortunate aspect of all this great news is that all of these new developments could have been ironed out before the announcement but they were not. Our partners felt an initial announcement was necessary and so did we. We plan to release Mechwarrior4 for FREE when developments are completed and considered stable. We are also waiting on legal paper work from lawyers and as anyone out there that has worked in the professional industry knows, something of this magnitude takes time on all fronts. MekTek is not receiving any financial support from the partners regarding this release and obviously no one can quit their daytime job to get the job done faster either. The release has entered beta status and will be delivered to the world very shortly. MekTek is supported through donations from our community and thus far we have received 50% of our goal to cover server infrastructure costs. We hope the community will continue to support us during this very busy time to ensure we have the best possible hardware in place for this release.
Required – Internet Connection
OS - Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) / Windows 7
Processor – Intel Core™2 Duo 1.6 GHz or faster
Memory – XP: 1 GB RAM; Vista/Windows 7: 1.5 GB RAM
Hard Drive – 6 GB
DVD Drive - 8 SPEED
Video Card – 256 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 3.0*
Sound Card - DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX - DirectX 9.0c compatible
Online Multiplayer – 512 Kbps or faster; 2-12 Players
Input - Keyboard, Mouse
Optional – USB Steering Wheel / Dual Analogue Gamepad
*Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon X1800 XT 512MB or greater; NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256MB or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.
Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2), the sequel to the best-selling and critically-acclaimed action thriller from Valve is being shown this weekend at The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, Washington.
The game is available to play, by the press and public, at Valve and Microsoft's Xbox 360 booth.
After debuting "The Parish" campaign (set in the New Orleans' French Quarter) at E3 and "Swamp Fever" at Comic Con San Diego, Dark Carnival is the third of the five campaigns shipping with L4D2 this fall.
Valve is also unveiling a new Boss infected monster coming in the full version of Left 4 Dead 2. Known as "The Jockey" this is the third new Boss infected from L4D2 revealed thus far (the Charger was revealed at E3, The Spitter at Comic Con). The Jockey lets you attack lone Survivors and wrestle control of their movement away from them-into fire, off ledges, or straight into the middle of a zombie horde.
In addition to the new campaign and boss monster the PAX showing of L4D2 marks the debut of the "Zombie Clown," the "uncommon common" exclusive to the Dark Carnival campaign, and a few more of the 20-plus new items coming in the full product (electric guitar, machete, and the American baseball bat being offered as a pre-sell exclusive with select retailers).
Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC on November 17, Left 4 Dead 2 promises to set a new benchmark for co-operative action games and become one of 2009's marquee titles.
Section 8 allows players to join the epic conflict between the 8th Armored Infantry – nicknamed ‘Section 8’ - and the Arm of Orion by taking part in fierce combat across majestic alien worlds. Players create their own unique game experiences by customizing equipment Loadouts, and dramatically impact the flow of battle through strategic vehicle and asset requisitions. Dynamic Combat Missions (DCMs) are player-driven objectives, generated during the course of combat, that affect gameplay with tangible rewards for completion. In addition to the deep single-player campaign and multiplayer mode for up to 40 combatants, Section 8 features an Instant Action mode where players can challenge the game’s competitive AI on any of the multiplayer maps. For the competitive gamer, Section 8 will implement an online stats portal on Friday, September 11, which boasts a phenomenal in-depth stat-tracking system, showing clan and individual rankings on over 50 unique fully-searchable Leaderboards.
- Expanded interface including new map options, as well as more flexible control over what you can automate.
- Significantly improved AI, providing a greater challenge to the player.
- Improved game balance, with major focus on making diplomacy and officers more fun.
- Optimization to allow the game to run much smoother for most players.
In Fort Zombie, players will find themselves trapped in the small town of Piety, Indiana. Faced with no other choice but to find shelter from an impending wave of zombies migrating from a nearby metropolis, players will be challenged to choose a building to be their fort throughout the entire campaign. By effectively focusing efforts on building up this structure in between scouring the town for supplies and searching out and training survivors, players will have a shot at surviving the massive zombie onslaught.
For the few remaining citizens of Piety, each new day brings more fear. Only the most prepared citizens of Piety will stand a chance against the zombie infestation. Choose from a variety of daily tasks and efficiently build up your character's stats and skills as you battle blood-thirsty invaders and attempt to avoid total infestation. Most importantly, you must build up your fort for anyone to have any hope of surviving the last, big stand-off against the coming undead swarm.
This fall, stay alive and be prepared for the fight of your life in Fort Zombie!
The letter claims that the use of certain trademarked figures from the Robotech/Macross universe are prohibited as a result of a prior settlement that dates back to 1996. While MechWarrior isn't part of the Robotech/Macross universe, the similarities between vehicles has been enough to cause legal issues and raise questions. Apparently, some of those trademarked figures appear in the trailer used by Piranha Games in its announcement of the MechWarrior reboot earlier this year, and a request has been made for that trailer to be pulled from IGN.
This development could put the future of MechWarrior in jeopardy. A trademark dispute could derail the game's development. On the flip side, it could also simply result in specific characters, logos, or other trademarked material from being included in the final product.
Gamasutra - The First-Person Immersion Myth.
Are first-person games inherently more immersive? A lot of developers seem to presume that they are, but let’s take a second look. Consider the last time you felt like you actually were the character in a game you played. I’d be willing to guess that most people will say “never.” We don’t generally take on the role of the character we’re playing, except as children in imaginary play.
What most of us do is identify with the character -- and how can you identify with a character you can’t see, a character who usually doesn’t even talk or have any opinions about the horrible things going on around him? This goes back to the “silent hero” dilemma that has existed ever since role-playing made its way into the electronic world, notoriously perpetuated by the Japanese console RPG.
Laborious Links: | Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez. |
Play: |
DAZ 3.5. Civiballs 2. Puzazzle. |
Links: |
Fantasy Telemarketer. Honolulu Council Considers BO Ban. Thanks Boing Boing. |
Stories: |
Men lose their minds speaking to pretty women. Thanks Ralph. Tron Legacy- Hits December 2010. Thanks nin |
Science: |
Lasers Can Chill Stuff Super Fast. NASA teams to build pod-like, high-speed everyday transport system. Bats Sing Louder than a Rock Band. |
Images: | Colleagues Fail. AKA Congress FAIL. |
Media: |
Kirk
and Khan SALSA!! He tasks me! 100 Ways to Die in Oblivion. Rock Band- Radiohead Edition. |
Follow-ups: |
Orbiting junk approaching Discovery, ISS. Notes from the Space Elevator Conference. |
The Funnies: | Penny Arcade! - Rightsizing. |