Archived News:
ValveTime.net notes the recent filing of an
EU trademark for Half-Life 3 is no longer listed on
the OHIM website.
They go so far as to say this proves the listing was a hoax, though as far as we
know, no one has concretely explained what's going on here. Thanks
GameInformer.
Daedalic Entertainment announces those who preorder Goodbye Deponia
can say hello to Chaos on Deponia, the second installment in the comedy
adventure trilogy. Goodbye Deponia is due for release on October 18th, and
here's word on the two different editions they are offering: "Goodbye Deponia is
available in two editions on Steam: The standard edition contains the full game.
The Premium Edition includes the full game as well, and additional extras, such
as the game’s original soundtrack, concept art, excerpts from Daedalic’s
animation workbook as well as an 'Introduction to the world of Deponia' PDF
booklet."
The Attractio website offers the
re-release of the playable demo for this FPS/puzzle hybrid in support of the
game's
Steam Greenlight campaign. The demo was first released in
April, but required users to fill out a survey to get it, but now it is
offered without any strings attached. A
new trailer is also
available to show off the game. Continue here to read the full story.
The
Total War forums reflects more of Creative Assembly's efforts at clearing up
issues with the launch of Total War: ROME II, announcing the availability
of the beta version of a fourth patch for the strategy sequel. They call this
"far and away" the biggest update for the game so far, boasting 175 patches,
saying players "should see some real changes to the game while encountering
fewer technical issues." (thanks
IncGamers). Here's more: While there are a host of technical fixes,
usability improvements and gameplay balances, the real headline features of this
update are AI related. We’ve made a number of important changes to the way the
AI approaches diplomacy, develops its technologies and upgrades its buildings.
It also more carefully monitors its food VS squalor balance, and fights food
shortage problems better. It’s more likely to build elite units when it has the
technology, buildings and money to do so. It’s also more mindful when it’s
dealing with front and flank attacks in battle, and uses its pikemen more
sensibly.
This new trailer
shows off the pixilated action of Pixel Boy, a frenetic top-down shooter in the
works at two-man indie developer Giant Box Games. The game is coming to Windows,
OS X, and Linux early next year, and here's the lowdown: Pixel Boy is a
dungeon crawling top down Action Shooter. You control Pixel Boy and enter the
randomly generated dungeons of Cinnamod. There are five acts in total, each with
a powerful boss at their climax. Every dungeon is filled to the brim with
aggressive and deadly enemies. As Pixel Boy you will encounter swarms of giant
ants, packs of snapping dogs and even lethal dungeon birds. To help Pixel Boy
bear this burden there are many tools at your disposal. Various pixel powerups
can be found or purchased to help Pixel Boy overcome the treacherous dungeons
and tricks of Cinnamod.
Spreadshot, Shields, Splitshot, Heat seekers, Critical Strike Modifiers, Time
Stoppers and much more are available. Three pixel powers can be equipped at a
time and are stackable AND combinable so that Pixel Boy can find the best
combination of over 6000 powers to defeat his adversaries most efficiently.
Continue here to read the full story.
This press release announces Activision Publishing is suing Worlds Inc. and
Worlds Online Inc. for patent infringement in the Central District of
California. Or rather counter-sues, as Worlds Inc. already sued them for the
same thing in March. If multiple suits over "patent infringement" sound to you
like this is going to be inscrutable to a non-lawyer/non-techie, you are
correct: In the suit, Activision claims that Worlds has infringed, and
continues to infringe, U.S. Patent No. 6,014,145 entitled “Navigation with
optimum viewpoints in three-dimensional workspace interactive displays having
three-dimensional objects with collision barriers” and U.S. Patent No. 5,883,628
entitled “Climability: property for objects in 3-D virtual environments.” The
contested product is software distributed by Worlds called "Worlds Player."
Worlds Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Activision Blizzard,
Inc., Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Activision Publishing, Inc. on March 30,
2012. That lawsuit is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Massachusetts.
It's been kind of a stressful week here at the BlueTower, as we have two
geriatric relatives who are ailing: My step-grandmother, who is very much a real
grandmother to me, is in the ICU with complications following heart surgery (as
if heart surgery on a patient who is 90-something could be uncomplicated to
start with). And Hudson the wonder dog has been mostly off her food for a week
after a bout of vomiting and diarrhea we believe was caused by a round of antibiotics for a skin
infection, and it doesn't take much of a hunger strike to make a skinny
13-year-old purebred dog seem to waste away. My tendency to internalize this
kind of stress has now bitten me in the back, if not the backside, as I am now
suffering with a backache, which is not only the first I can recall in over 10
years, but also by far the worst I've ever experienced. The good news is that
both patients seem to be doing better: The doctors say our grandma is on the
right track after a few setbacks, and after being taken off the pills, Hudsy is
slowly starting to get her appetite back. It was only after things started
looking up that my back attacked me, so I may manage to still be ailing as
everyone else is recovering, which is fine by me, as it would mean that everyone
else is recovering.
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