Tag Archives: gaming

EVE Online | Stories From The First Decade

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The decade of history of EVE Online is unique. It has its heroes, scoundrels, heists and intrigue. Unlike other games, those are not stories written by developers and acted out by NPCs. They are true stories about the actions of the players that inhabit this world.

via EVE Online | Stories From The First Decade.

Go to this site and read some stories.  This game has always amazed me with the news it generates through the stories it has produced throughout the years.   I find games like this very complicated.  The stories do read like a novel or possible screenplay.

As player numbers crater, EA will shut SimCity Social, other Facebook games

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Similarly, The Sims Social rocketed to over 65 million monthly players just after its launch in 2011, only to drop to just over five million monthly players today, according to AppData. SimCity Social seems to have peaked at 10 million monthly players and has managed to hold on to just over one million of them less than a year after its launch.

via As player numbers crater, EA will shut SimCity Social, other Facebook games | Ars Technica.

Apathy and refunds are more dangerous than Piracy.

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People have to WANT to buy your software, people have to WANT to support you. People need to care about your employees and your company’s well being. There is no better way to achieve that than making sure what you put out there is the best you can do and you treat your customers with respect.

via VA==65731089732bGl2ZXMh – Apathy and refunds are more dangerous than Piracy..

This article is in response to the current SimCity fiasco; one of the most revered gaming franchises that had its recent product launch botched.

Customer Reviews: SimCity – Standard Edition

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The hours upon hours since launch that I haven’t been able to log in, whether it be sitting in queues, or server busy messages, or just plain old not working screens, I’ve managed to do a heap of things that I never do when I’m locked in my man cave playing video games.

I’ve washed the dishes, the laundry, changed the oil in the car, mopped the floors, dusted, did a spot of gardening, greeted my children who I hadn’t really seen since Christmas, walked the dog, asked how my wife’s day has been and listened to the entire response, restocked the groceries and many more things! My family has never been happier that they’ve got a father and husband again.

In fact, I feel like Simcity has given me a new lease on life. This wouldn’t have been possible without the seemingly crazy decision to have constant online connections and server side save points even for single player.

So I can only thank EA and Maxis. Your failures have been my rewards. 5 stars!

via Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: SimCity – Standard Edition [Download].

I don’t ever recall a product launch that went this badly.  I’ve been playing Sim City since version 2 and was looking forward to this.  This needs to be filed under what were they thinking?!

Game Studios at the Forefront of Big Data, Cloud

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If you want to see the future of Big Data, look no further than the nearest gaming-development studio. It isn’t all fun and first-person-shooting. Game developers are the sentinels of a variety of advanced IT techniques, placing them in front of the general IT population with regard to using real-time analytics and cloud computing, among other areas.

via Game Studios at the Forefront of Big Data, Cloud.

Preorders For The Gaming-Focused Razer Edge Tablet Start March 1st, Ships Later In The Month

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The Core i5 Razer Edge costs $999 while the Core i7 Razer Edge Pro costs $1299. Plus, each one of the accessories are sold separately. Just the Gamepad Controller is $249. A fully decked-out Razer Edge Pro with Gamepad Controller rings up for $1,698.

via Preorders For The Gaming-Focused Razer Edge Tablet Start March 1st, Ships Later In The Month | TechCrunch.

Valve officially launches Steam for Linux with massive sale

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The Linux version of Steam will likely be at the core of Valve’s upcoming plans for living room-based “Steam Box” hardware, building off the recently unveiled Big Picture mode. The move to Linux also gives Valve more flexibility in working around Microsoft’s Windows 8, which co-founder Gabe Newell has called “a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space.”

via Valve officially launches Steam for Linux with massive sale | Ars Technica.

Steam Box’s biggest threat isn’t consoles, it’s Apple

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That’s Valve’s goal for the Steam Box, its own Linux-based gaming hardware which will bring Steam’s Big Picture mode to living room televisions at an affordable price point. Valve is also teaming up with several hardware manufacturers, who are also trying to put together the most attractive hardware at the most attractive price, in order to make the PC platform’s jump to the living room as painless as possible.

via Gabe Newell: Steam Box’s biggest threat isn’t consoles, it’s Apple | Polygon.

I’d like to see more numbers.  Having Apple at the high end and Linux at the low end seems like an OK solution and everyone makes money.

EVE Online’s Battle of Asakai: who was involved, the stakes, and the aftermath

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The cause

A single misclick.

No, really: A Titan pilot beneath the Cluster banner was attempting a “bridge”—using a ship to act as an artificial warp corridor for other ships—to Asakai VI when he accidentally warped himself straight into a very surprised Pandemic Legion fleet. The pilot, named Dabigredboat, immediately came under heavy attack as the Legion pounced on the extremely valuable ship.

via EVE Online’s Battle of Asakai: who was involved, the stakes, and the aftermath | News | PC Gamer.

I sometimes find the drama in these MMORPG fascinating and Eve Online usually has the best stories.  The cynical side of me suspects this might have been staged as a marketing promotion.   I hear nothing but good things about Eve Online however.

38 Studios: Curt Schilling’s Crony Capitalism Debacle

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Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, an iconic figure in New England after anchoring a historic playoff comeback which ended a legendary 86-year title drought, founded 38 Studios near the end of his baseball career in the hopes of becoming a big shot in the intensely competitive multi-player gaming world.

via 38 Studios: Curt Schilling’s Crony Capitalism Debacle – Reason.com.

Using his bully pulpit as both governor and chairman of the Rhode Island Economic Devlopment Corporation (RIEDC), a quasi-public agency whose mission is to promote business in the state, Carcieri pushed hard for 38 Studios to receive a $75 million taxpayer-guaranteed loan.