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Archived News:
The DirectX Developer Blog has
the official announcement from Microsoft about plans for DirectX 12, saying the
next iteration of their gaming API will bring significant performance
improvements when it's released in the holidays of 2015: DirectX 12 introduces the next version of Direct3D, the
graphics API at the heart of DirectX. Direct3D is one of the most critical
pieces of a game or game engine, and we’ve redesigned it to be faster and more
efficient than ever before. Direct3D 12 enables richer scenes, more objects, and
full utilization of modern GPU hardware. And it isn’t just for high-end gaming
PCs either – Direct3D 12 works across all the Microsoft devices you care about.
From phones and tablets, to laptops and desktops, and, of course, Xbox One,
Direct3D 12 is the API you’ve been waiting for.
What makes Direct3D 12 better? First and foremost, it provides a lower level of
hardware abstraction than ever before, allowing games to significantly improve
multithread scaling and CPU utilization. In addition, games will benefit from
reduced GPU overhead via features such as descriptor tables and concise pipeline
state objects. And that’s not all – Direct3D 12 also introduces a set of new
rendering pipeline features that will dramatically improve the efficiency of
algorithms such as order-independent transparency, collision detection, and
geometry culling.
Ubisoft announces that closed beta testing begins tomorrow for Trials Fusion,
RedLynx's upcoming platform racing sequel to Trials Evolution. They
expect to release the game on April 24th, but they are also offering beta access
for those who order the game for Windows from the Uplay shop, GameStop, Amazon,
and other select digital retailers. Details can be found on the
Trials Fusion website,
and here's a bit on the game: Trials Fusion offers players an unlimited
array of obstacles and challenges as they race against the clock – with players
from around the globe – to set track records.
The game builds off the same maddeningly addictive physics-based gameplay of its
predecessors while incorporating brand-new features, including the FMX tricks
system. Create tracks that stretch your imagination and skill, and put your
friends to the test by sharing online with the bustling Trials Fusion community,
made possible by the fan-favorite Editor mode.
NCSOFT announces details on The Guild Wars 2 April 2014 Feature Pack, an
update the plan to release on April 15th for the MMORPG sequel, calling this the
"first-ever release focused entirely on new and enhanced features." They offer
an
information portal where they will trickle out details over the next couple
of weeks, hoping to prevent giving anyone a dangerous case of the bends that can
be caused by too many patch details at once. So far they offer
the patch announcement along with
an article discussing overhauling the trait system and the more that 40 new
traits the patch will introduce.
This new trailer is
titled "Exploring Wolfenstein: The New Order - On a Train to Berlin," offering a
look at the upcoming shooter reboot. Here's word: "Watch an early scene from
Wolfenstein: The New Order. In this video, BJ Blazkowicz has an unexpected run
in with one of Wolfenstein's most cunning villains, Frau Engel." Continue here to read the full story.
-
InFamous: Second Son's day one patch adds 19 new missions, 5 hours of
additional gameplay.
- Infamous reviews on
CVG,
Destructoid,
Eurogamer,
GameSpot,
gamesTM,
IGN,
Joystiq,
Kotaku,
NowGamer,
Polygon, and
Shacknews. Thanks nin.
Obsidian Entertainment announces Armored Warfare, a military-themed tactical
MMOG planned as a "free-to-compete" release for Windows sometime this year.
They say they are offering beta signups on the game's
official website, but nothing is
there at the moment. Here
is the announcement trailer,
and here is the announcement: Obsidian Entertainment and My.com, the
subsidiary of Mail.Ru Group, the largest Internet company in Russian-speaking
countries, today revealed Armored Warfare, a massively multiplayer online
tactical military video game. Armored Warfare features stunning next-gen
visuals, dynamic destructible environments, customizable vehicles and intense
team-based gameplay where players work to crush each other with the power of
modern combat vehicles in a free-to-compete experience.
“Armored Warfare gives players two deep levels of upgrading and progression
through a huge array of both military vehicles and their own personal military
base. Each giving players a diverse and wide-ranging path of strategies,” said
Richard Taylor, Project Director of Obsidian Entertainment. “We are incredibly
excited to bring Armored Warfare to players around the world, so they can enjoy
the strategic and destructive potential of modern fighting vehicles.”
In Armored Warfare, players will take on the role of private military
contractors who are called into action throughout a modern virtual world.
Overseeing their own personal command base, players will expand, enhance, and
customize their headquarters, manage and upgrade their military convoy of
vehicles, and train and develop their crews through a robust reputation and
experience system. Dynamic environments in Armored Warfare require players to
change strategies on the battlefield at a moment’s notice keeping them ever
vigilant to the tides of battle.
Continue here to read the full story.
The CryDev website
announces Crytek will offer developers access to their CryENGINE as a
subscription service, a similar model to what
Epic just announced
for the Unreal Engine 4 (thanks Grifter). Beginning next month they will be
offering use of their game technology for US$9.90/€.9.90 per user per month with
no commission. Here's word: As a first tier of its new program, Crytek has
revealed that from May this year, indie developers will be able to use all of
CRYENGINE's cutting-edge features for a monthly subscription fee of 9.90 USD/EUR
per user - royalty free. Those features include the recently announced addition
of CRYENGINE features such as Physically Based Shading, Geometry Cache and Image
Based Lighting - an upgrade already shown in action by Crytek at this year's GDC
conference in San Francisco.
More details about the game-changing opportunities on offer to developers as
part of the program will be announced in the near future. The CRYENGINE free SDK
will continue to be available under its current terms but developers wanting to
take advantage of the new features of CRYENGINE will need to subscribe to the
new EaaS-Program.
Epic's Tim Sweeney says Epic is "not shipping an Unreal Tournament game"
to a GDC panel when asked about the future of their first-person shooter series,
reports CVG.
"We have a lot of nostalgia for the game but we're actually not developing
anything in the Unreal game universe at all at the moment," the Epic CEO
explains. "We've announced Fortnite... That's a game we'll be talking about
later. We don't have anything to show you here at GDC." Though UT is not one of
them, he does tease that in addition to the previously revealed Fortnite, there
are "several" unannounced games in the works using Epic technology: "We're
developing that project and there are several other projects that aren't
announced yet that are being developed with Unreal Engine 4."
The winners of the 14th
annual Game Developers Choice Awards are now revealed, with Naughty Dog's
Last of Us taking home game of the year honors. Here are all the winners: Lifetime
Achievement Winner: Ken Kutaragi
Pioneer Award Winner: Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill
Ambassador Award Winner: Anita Sarkeesian
Audience Award Winner: Kerbal Space Program (Squad)
Game of the Year: The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)
Innovation Award: Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Best Audio: BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games)
Best Debut: The Fullbright Company (Gone Home)
Best Downloadable Game: Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Best Design: The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)
Best Handheld/Mobile Game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
(Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
Best Narrative: The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)
Best Technology: Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)
Best Visual Art: BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games)
Paradox Interactive is now offering immediate beta access to Warlock 2: The
Exiled for those who preorder Ino-Co's upcoming turn-based strategy sequel. They
offer a new instant access
trailer showing off gameplay as inspiration, and those interested cab buy
the game through this page. This will
involve some decision-making, however, as they outline the following
choices: Warlock 2: The Exiled is available in three editions, with premium editions
offering several tomes’ worth of extras like soundtracks and content packs for
discerning diviners. All three, including the Standard Edition ($29.99), grant
instant pre-order access to the game, minus the game-customizing Editor Tool.
The extra content for the premium editions will also become available upon
release. Players who purchase the Lord Edition or Great Mage Edition will also
receive an original digital copy of the novel Warlock 2: The Great Mage Game.
Continue here to read the full story.
Battle.net now offers a series of videos from Diablo III showing off
new character skills to be introduced in next week's Reaper of Souls
expansion for the action/RPG sequel. These clips are barely over Vine-size,
running from five to 18 seconds, showing off the
Barbarian's Avalanche,
the Demon Hunter's
Vengeance, the Monk's
Epiphany, the Witch
Doctor's Piranhas, and the
Wizard's Black Hole.
They have a popularity poll showing that the readership thinks
the Black Hole does not suck at all, while there's a tie for least popular new
skill with the sudden realization that epiphany is not all that enlightening,
though dissatisfaction with Avalanche prevents that from being a landslide.
A new "devspeak" trailer
for WildStar shows off some player-versus-player combat in Carbine's
upcoming MMORPG. Here's how this is described: "Are you a PvP junkie? Us too!
It's time for some bone-crushing arenas and battlegrounds! Want to jump into
WildStar and show off your PvP skills? Be sure to pre-order today, and gain
access to all beta weekends!" Continue here to read the full story.
- Acer Iconia W4 Tablet on
TechSpot.
- AMD R9 290X CrossFire Vs Nvidia GTX 780 Ti SLI 4K Gaming Showdown
on
eTeknix.
- AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition vs. R9 290X on
ocaholic.
- ASUS Cerberus Gaming Headset on
Hardware Heaven.
- CM Storm Trigger-Z on
ocaholic.
- Corsair Raptor K40 on
Guru3D.
- Creative Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 Intelligent Wireless Sound System
on
MEGATechNews.
- Crucial M550 512GB Solid State Drive on
eTeknix and
TweakTown.
- Ducky Shine 3 Mechanical Keyboard on
Benchmark Reviews.
- Microcool Banchetto K on
ocaholic.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti Roundup: EVGA, Galaxy and PNY Overclocked
on
PC Perspective.
- Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 (Razer Green Switches) on
Custom PC Review.
- Tt eSPORTS Level 10 M Gaming Headset (Iron White) on
Mad Shrimps.
- Western Digital WD Black² 2.5-inch Dual Drive (SSD + HDD) on
Modders-Inc.
- Western Digital WD My Cloud 2TB Personal Cloud Storage Review on
ThinkComputers.org.
Happy spring to those of us in the northern hemisphere, as today is the vernal
equinox. This is welcome after a rough winter, though it would be even more
welcome if it was working more as intended, as the forecast has taken a turn for
the worse around here, and while it may reach 49°F today, there's a chance of
snow tomorrow night, and it's supposed to be 35°F on Monday, which is not very
spring-like. The old saying is March comes in like a lion and goes out by a
lamb, but at this rate it's more like it came in like a lion and will go out as the same damned lion.
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