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Archived News:
Early access to Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues is now available
through Steam, offering
the chance to check out Richard Garriott's return to fantasy role-playing game
design (and to Earth, for that matter). The game currently carries a 15%
discount along with warnings that it is still in the pre-alpha stage of
development. Here's word: Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues is a new
type of third person fantasy RPG that combines a single player narrative with a
sandbox MMO. It is being created by a team that includes: Richard "Lord British"
Garriott the creator of the Ultima series, Starr Long the original Director of
Ultima Online, and Tracy Hickman the author of the beloved Dragonlance Novels
and Dungeons & Dragons modules.
- Episodic Content: Shroud of the Avatar will
consist of five episodes that will tell a series of virtue based stories
created by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman. All supported by a series of
prequel novels starting with Blade of the Avatar. Forsaken Virtues is the
first episode (this is what you are purchasing access to).
- Single Player Offline Mode: Players will
adventure through over 40 hours of story in an interactive world where their
choices have consequences, ethical paradoxes give them pause, and they play
a vital part in weaving their own story into the immersive world and lore
surrounding them.
- Selective Multiplayer Modes: If you want to
go through the story online you can play with everyone in a single world
with three different online modes (Single Player, Friends, and Open).
- Classless Character System: Vast
customization options with hundreds of skills and spells in over 20
different skill trees.
- Skillful Combat: A new way to prepare and
fight in an RPG by building custom decks of skills and dynamically
activating them in combat.
- PVP: Consensual with Open PVP flags, zones,
and Guild Warfare.
- Player Housing: Non instanced, finite, and
embedded in the world with multiple group living options.
- Player Driven Economy: Deep crafting system
where the best items are made by players and player items are the main
source of loot found in the game.
- Pay Once to Play: No subscription fees.
Each episode (released approximately annually) is a one time fee and
everything in the game can be purchased with in game gold that can be earned
(except for some exclusive backer rewards).
- Social: Full Guild System, Highly Active
Community and Player Owned Towns.
- Crowd Sourced & Funded: Support the project
by contributing content (and receive compensation) or by pledging (and
receive exclusive rewards).
- Open Development: Players help shape the
game by giving feedback on monthly early access releases, videos, weekly
updates, blog postings, forums, chat, etc.
Steam News announces the release of a new patch for Far Cry 4, which
updates the shooter sequel to version 1.4.0, addressing an issue that caused a
black screen and another that triggered a gray screen. Here's the
deal: Patch 1.4.0 has been released, and is now available for download.
Patch Notes:
- Fixed the "black screen" issue PC players were
experiencing when certain USB peripherals were plugged in.
- Fixed the "grey screen" issue some PC players were
may have encountered after the Outpost Master Mission.
If you are still experiencing a black screen on launch, please contact
Customer Support...
SEGA announces a February 17, 2015 release date for Total War: ATTILA in
all territories, also revealing preorder bonuses for the next installment in
Creative Assembly's strategy series. Here's word on those bonuses as well as
details on a special edition to be released in North America: Release
Date:
The global release date for Total War™: ATTILA will be February 17, 2015 across
all territories on both physical and digital formats.
The game is now available for pre-order from the SEGA Store
http://download-store.sega.com/eshop/total-war/rome-2-4474.html
Pre-order Bonus:
Players who pre-order from participating retailers will receive Total War™:
ATTILA’s first downloadable content for free alongside the game on release day.
This first DLC, The Viking Forefathers Culture Pack, adds three additional
playable factions to the game: The Danes, The Jutes and The Geats.
These warlike Norse factions have their own unique battlefield and naval units,
missions, cultural and factional traits, and are poised to launch southwards
from their icy homelands on campaigns of raiding, looting and conquest.
The Viking Forefathers Culture Pack will also be available to purchase
separately from February 17, priced at £5.99/€7.49/$7.99.
Special Edition:
The Total War: ATTILA Special Edition, which will be the only physical retail
edition available in North America, contains items not available in the digital
version. These are:
- Attila The Hun Biography
- Written by Nic Fields and published by renowned military history
specialists Osprey Publishing, this brand-new Attila The Hun Biography
is based on the latest academic research and theories. Beautifully
illustrated with maps, archaeological photographs and specially
commissioned artwork, it details the life, times and dark deeds of one
of history’s most infamous warlords. This biography is only currently
available as part of the Total War: ATTILA Special Edition.
- Reference Guide Poster
- This double-sided poster features original Total War: ATTILA
campaign map artwork on one side, and a comprehensive playable faction
reference guide on the other.
- Viking Forefathers Culture Pack
- Whether pre-ordered or purchased at launch, the Total War: ATTILA
Special Edition includes this significant pack of content featuring
three additional playable Norse factions.
A new trailer from
Batman: Arkham Knight shows off some key features from the upcoming
action/adventure sequel. Here's word on the clip, which kicks off a three-part
series: "The video, titled The Official Batman: Arkham Knight – Ace Chemicals
Infiltration – Pt. 1, highlights new game features including the new Fear
Takedown maneuver, as well as the seamless integration of the Batmobile into
gameplay and Combat Mode. Watch as Batman takes on Arkham Knight’s henchmen to
rescue the remaining ACE Chemicals plant workers and stop Arkham Knight from
executing The Scarecrow’s plans." Continue here to read the full story.
Nordic Games announces SpellForce 3, saying they have established a
studio called Grimlore Games in Munich
to develop a third installment in the
SpellForce series. SpellForce was originally created by
now defunct studio Phenomic, but Nordic
says Grimlore is staying true to the SpellForce pedigree, saying: "Grimlore
Games comprises of experienced developers, graphic artists and designers who
have worked on titles including The Settlers 2, Knights and Merchants, Cultures
and - of course - SpellForce 2." There's not much more for now except this
mission statement: The rich talent pool in Munich was a key factor in
deciding the new studio’s location. Many young and highly skilled developers
gather in Munich who, in the coming months and years, will complement the core
team at Grimlore Games. The studio will focus on PC games for core gamers,
specifically the role-playing and real-time strategy genres.
Apparently rumors of the demise of Irrational Games have been greatly
exaggerated, even if they were based on an
official announcement from the studio founded by Ken Levine saying they were
"winding down" operations. It seems they are getting wound up again, as their
Careers at Irrational page
now lists two open positions (thanks
Lazygamer), one for an IT manager, and the other for a senior programmer
with a focus on "AI & Gameplay." This latter listing has word that "Unreal
Engine 3 and 4 experiences highly desirable," and features the following
overview if you want to comb for hints about what's up: Irrational Games
is currently looking for a Senior Programmer that is equally experienced in
architecting and implementing AI and Gameplay systems. This position will work
directly with the Lead Programmer, along with the Animation, Art and Design
teams to create fun and interesting AI opponents and gameplay elements for our
next title. This position will also be responsible for additional core
responsibilities including, but not limited to general gameplay features, tools,
engine technology, and build systems.
With the release of Elite: Dangerous nearing, the original 1984 version
of Elite can be grabbed for free from the
Elite: Dangerous
Store (thanks Ant via
a post to our forums by DangerDog), allowing the chance to see what the fuss
is all about, or at least what it was all about back in a simpler, bygone time.
Here's the description accompanying the 30 year-old space combat
game: Experience the classic space trading game, Elite, as released on the
BBC Model B in 1984, by Ian Bell and David Braben.
From the original box description:
"Command your Cobra space ship in a fantastic voyage of discovery and adventure,
a supreme test of your combat, navigational and entrepreneurial skills.
Trade between countless planets, using the proceeds to equip your ship with
heat-seeking missiles, beam lasers and other weapons - corporate states can be
approached without risk, but unruly anarchies may be swarming with space
pirates.
Black market trading can be lucrative but could result in skirmishes with local
police and a price on your head!
However you make your money, by fair means or foul, you must blast onwards
through space annihilating pirate ships and hostile aliens as you strive to earn
your reputation as one of the Elite!"
“The game of a lifetime” Zzap! 64. May 1985.
Dragon Age: Inquisition debuts at number one on the
GfK Chart-Track chart of the 30 bestselling games in the U.K. for the week
ending November 22nd. Far Cry 4 enters the chart at number two while last
week's top-selling Warlords of Draenor WoW expansion drops to number
five. On the
all-prices console chart Grand Theft Auto V jumps back to number one
from the #32 spot following its next-gen release. Far Cry 4 debuts at number two
and the new Dragon Age joins at number five. Here's their full write-up, which
says GTA5 is now the U.K.'s all-time bestselling game: This week sees the
return of Rockstar and Take 2 to No1 thanks to the Gen 8 Tuesday release of ‘GTA
V’.
Even before this week the 360/PS3 versions of this game held the record for
highest-grossing game in a week (£94m total UK estimate – week 38, 2013) and
also the all-time UK revenue record, reached after just 28 weeks to overtake
‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’. In terms of all time units ‘GTA V’ was right behind
‘Black Ops’, so much so that just the Tuesday sales of ‘GTA V’ on PS4/XO were
enough to also claim the all-time unit sales record in the UK.
The other big event launch from Tuesday was Ubisoft’s multi-format ‘Far Cry 4’,
the first in the series to launch outside of the traditional Friday launch day.
The original ‘Far Cry’ launched as a PC-only game in 2004 and the series has
been growing in sales success with each iteration, with ‘Far Cry 2’ launched in
2008 (360/PS3/PC) and ‘Far Cry 3’ arriving in 2012 (360/PS3/PC). ‘Far Cry 4’ is
by far the most successful in terms of week1 sales, which bodes well for the Q4
sales season. Activision’s ‘Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’ (-41%) drops to No3
after 2 weeks at the top, followed at No4 by non-mover ‘FIFA 15’ from EA (+25%).
There are more big new releases this week with a debut at No5 for EA’s ‘Dragon
Age: Inquisition’, selling almost exactly the same in week 1 as 2011’s ‘Dragon
Age II’.
2K/Take 2 climb 13 places to No7 thanks to the new Gen 8 versions of ‘WWE 2K15’
(+554%) and Warner climb 12 places to No11 thanks to the new Gen 7 versions of
‘Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor’ (+204%).
It's a gloomy rainy day in this area, so I'm glad I got my leaf grooming taken
care of before they all got soggy. The weather suits the occasion here, as it's
a year ago today that Hudson the wonder dog passed on. This has me feeling sad,
but I will try to push past this and try and recall all the happiness she
brought us, and motivate to have a fun adventure out there with the Gunnar-man
in spite of the rain.
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