E3 – Jupiter Broadcasting

LostPass | Tech Talk Today 183

chris — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 11:05:56 +0000

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LastPass discloses it’s been compromised, we discuss the scope of the hack & what our best and worst options are moving forward.

Plus a recap of the most interesting things from E3 so far & more!

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E3 2014 Wrap Up | Tech Talk Today 8

chris — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 09:56:19 +0000

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Indie titles get some attention at E3, Amazon launches their music streaming service and starts to play heavy with the movie industry.

Plus the big themes we took away from this years E3 expo, and more!

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Headlines

Amazon Turns On Prime Music Streaming, Sans Current Hits

Promising over 1 million songs ready for your streaming pleasure, on top of the downloading service that Amazon already offered.

Amazon Launches Prime Music Service Without Universal Music Group

Because many of the details of Prime Music have been previously reported (BuzzFeed already noted that the service won’t have songs from major labels until they’ve been out for six months; the New York Times and the New York Post have already noted that the service won’t include anything at all from Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music label) there isn’t a lot more to say.

Amazon Dispute Now Making Movies Harder To Order – Slashdot

— Games —

E3 2014: Microsoft Shows Indie Games Some Love

While they spotlighted all the major AAA titles with long, extended trailer packages and introductions, there were plenty of smaller, indie titles that got some love during the conference as well.

4 Things E3 2014 Is Trying to Tell You t

The big day of press conferences at E3 2014 is now officially behind us, and impressions have been posted about each of them individually, but looking back on an entire day of announcements, what is the overarching message?

E3 2014: The Best Trailers From This Year’s Show

If it’s one thing the games industry knows how to do, it’s how to cut an impressive trailer. Whether they’re full CG or all in-game, the best trailers convey their games’ strengths, tell us what to expect, and most importantly ramp up the hype. Here’s a selection of some of the best game trailers released so far at this year’s E3.

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Nintendo is back at #E32014! | Tech Talk Today 7

chris — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 09:24:21 +0000

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Google buys a satellite company and we round up the latest from this week’s 2014 E3 conference.

Then we cover Comcast’s plans to turn your wifi on for the public, the first Google watch is near and more!

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Headlines

Google Pays $500M for Satellite Maker Skybox, for Photos and Eventually Internet

Google said on Tuesday it had bought Skybox Imaging, a company that provides high-resolution photos using satellites, for $500 million in cash.

Google explained the deal as such: \”Their satellites will help keep our maps accurate with up-to-date imagery. Over time, we also hope that Skybox\’s team and technology will be able to help improve Internet access and disaster relief — areas Google has long been interested in.\”

Sonic the Hedgehog speeding onto movie screens

The film, produced in collaboration between Sony, 22 Jump Street Producer Neal Moritz, and Japanese company Marza Animation Planet, will combine live action and computer animation to tell Sonic\’s story.

— Games —

Doom trailer teases the game\’s reveal at QuakeCon 2014

The new Doom from id Software and Bethesda Softworks is coming to QuakeCon 2014, but here\’s the first teaser trailer.

Yoshi\’s Woolly World lets two players sync up and squabble over spilled eggs

During our hands-on time with the title, we played with a friend in a level set among the clouds. These two Yoshis had to find ways to climb blocks, bridge gaps between floating platforms and take out angry Piranha Plants together. Towards the beginning of the level, we encountered a Paratroopa that we had to knock out of the sky with one of many baby chick-creatures in order to steal its shell.

Nintendo will let you build your own Super Mario Bros. game

During its E3 presentation Nintendo just announced one of the most compelling reasons yet to pick up a Wii U. Mario Maker is essentially a Mario Bros. game construction set for the Wii U, letting users build their own levels — either in the classic Super Mario Bros. style, or using the visual elements from New Super Mario Bros. U — and then play them.

Comcast is turning your Xfinity router into a public Wi-Fi hotspot

Some time on Tuesday afternoon, about 50,000 Comcast Internet customers in Houston will become part of a massive public Wi-Fi hotspot network, a number that will swell to 150,000 by the end of June.

Exclusive: LG G Watch will be given away at Google I/O 2014

Although we don’t have all the details, sources directly familiar with the situation tell us that the Moto 360 will be shown off at the event. As for the LG G Watch? As expected, the device is essentially a reference device for Android Wear and will not only be shown off at Google I/O, it will be given away to all those that attend Google I/O 2014 this year!
Reportedly there will also be also be at least one other manufacturer that will

VLC Adding Chromecast Support to Android, iOS and Desktop Apps

Expedia Starts Accepting Bitcoin for Hotel Bookings

Expedia EXPE +0.49%, the big online travel site, announced on Wednesday it will begin accepting bitcoin for hotel bookings through its website, becoming the first major travel-agency to take the digital currency. If the reception is good, the company said it expects to bring bitcoin to its other service lines as well.

Bitcoin\’s big future

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Netflix, E3 and Turing Myth | Tech Talk Today 6

chris — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 09:41:45 +0000

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The best stories from day 0 of E3 and we debate about the value of the Playstation TV. Plus it’s round two of Netflix vs Verizon, and we debunk the recent Turing test story.

Plus feedback, calls, and more!

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E3 2014 day one: everything you need to know

The first day of E3 2014 has come and gone, and it did not disappoint. All four major press conferences brought new games, footage, and excitement for PC gamers. Did you miss the fun? Don\’t worry: we\’re here to help. Here\’s our round-up of day one at E3 2014.

E3 2014: PlayStation TV Coming to North America

With support for PlayStation Now, Vita titles, and PS1 and PSP classics, PlayStation TV owners will have access to over 1000 games when it launches for $99 USD.

At E3 2014, Microsoft\’s Xbox One focus is all about games

The takeaway: Trust us, we\’ve listened and learned since last year — the Xbox One entertainment vision is in the backseat, and it\’s now all about the games.

"Today we are dedicating our entire briefing to games" – Phil Spencer, Microsoft Game Studios #E32014 #E3 pic.twitter.com/2yM7TmRhut

— Re/code (@Recode) June 9, 2014

Twitter / Recode

\”Today we are dedicating our entire briefing to games\” – Phil Spencer, Microsoft Game Studios

TheGodEmperor has an amazing List compiled of Platform Exclusives and multi-plat

No, A \’Supercomputer\’ Did NOT Pass The Turing Test For The First Time And Everyone Should Know Better

Okay, almost everything about the story is bogus. Let\’s dig in:

It\’s not a \”supercomputer,\” it\’s a chatbot. It\’s a script made to mimic human conversation. There is no intelligence, artificial or not involved. It\’s just a chatbot.
Plenty of other chatbots have similarly claimed to have \”passed\” the Turing test in the past (often with higher ratings). Here\’s a story from three years ago about another bot, Cleverbot, \”passing\” the Turing Test by convincing 59% of judges it was human (much higher than the 33% Eugene Goostman) claims.
It \”beat\” the Turing test here by \”gaming\” the rules — by telling people the computer was a 13-year-old boy from Ukraine in order to mentally explain away odd responses.
The \”rules\” of the Turing test always seem to change. Hell, Turing\’s original test was quite different anyway.
As Chris Dixon points out, you don\’t get to run a single test with judges that you picked and declare you accomplished something. That\’s just not how it\’s done. If someone claimed to have created nuclear fusion or cured cancer, you\’d wait for some peer review and repeat tests under other circumstances before buying it, right?
The whole concept of the Turing Test itself is kind of a joke. While it\’s fun to think about, creating a chatbot that can fool humans is not really the same thing as creating artificial intelligence. Many in the AI world look on the Turing Test as a needless distraction.

The heat is on: Honeywell is finally challenging the Nest thermostat

It\’s a $279 Wi-Fi thermostat (available today to purchase through HVAC contractors; it\’ll be available in Lowe\’s stores by August) that is one of the most visually appealing products in the space, as well as an obvious response to the Nest Learning thermostat. But perhaps more importantly, Lyric is also a platform. The company\’s ambition is to launch a full suite of Lyric products that can all be controlled your smartphone.

Netflix to suspend its controversial ISP error messages

Response to Demand Letter

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E3 Pre-Show | Tech Talk Today 5

chris — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 10:01:37 +0000

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Microsoft’s big announcement is moments away, and we round up the expectations and potential surprises from the event. Plus Popcorn time gives users a built in VPN, Crypto ransomware for Android and more!

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Headlines

How to Watch Microsoft\’s E3 Show Live, and What to Expect

Microsoft\’s E3 event is its biggest opportunity to distinguish the Xbox One from the PlayStation 4 and help close the gap on Sony\’s sales lead. Still, with a newly-appointed CEO and Phil Spencer now heading the company\’s Xbox division, there\’s no telling what Microsoft has in store

\’Popcorn Time\’ Gives Users Anonymity With a Free Built-In VPN

One of the Popcorn Time forks has included a free VPN option in its software, allowing users to hide their IP-addresses from the public, This feature is a response to copyright trolls, who regularly send settlement requests to users who pirate movies via BitTorrent.

“WARNING Your phone is locked!” Crypto ransomware makes its debut on Android

Security researchers have documented another first in the annals of Android malware: a trojan that encrypts photos, videos, and documents stored on a device and demands a ransom for them to be restored.

Google Chrome overtakes Microsoft\’s Internet Explorer as most-used US web browser

A report released by Adobe Digital Index (ADI) analyzing the market share of web browsers has shown Google\’s freeware is up 6 percent year-over-year, trouncing Internet Explorer – once a lone internet leader – which is sitting at 30.9 percent.

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E3 Recap | MMOrgue 6

chris — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 06:51:20 +0000

As promised, this week’s episode will be taking a closer look at some of the intriguing bits of MMO goodness to have spilled from the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center during last week’s Electronics Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3.

Although most fans of MMOs left the expo talking about the latest trailers and announcements from SWTOR, or the launch of Neverwinter Online’s website and subsequent flood of information, there are few stories which have stood above the crowd in my eyes. Two console-bound MMOs that promise to break new ground with innovative features and business models, and unprecedented presence beyond the confines of games themselves.

The first of these comes from Trion Worlds, the makers of RIFT and End of Nations. Their newly announced third-person shooter, Defiance, will come to PC, consoles, and television. Yes, you heard that correctly.

The other console-bound MMO comes from CCP, the geniuses behind the innovative and unique space sandbox MMO, Eve. In Dust514, players will extend the war for dominance of the galaxy to a new front line, without leaving the old war behind.

Before we get into the details of each of these interesting new software titles, I’d like to first review some hardware that made a big showing at this year’s E3. The cloud-gaming service, On-Live.

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ON-LIVE
Disclaimer: On-Live has made NO MENTION of getting into MMOs. This is entirely my speculation and opinion on how their technology could change the landscape.

Server-Client nature
– Standard faire MMO gamers
– Inability to play offline is not a setback for this genre
– Lack of ownership of title is no big deal
For developers:
– No more client hacking
– Patching – seamless/easy

Sluggish gameplay not a distraction
– Majority of MMO games can be played in lag without bother

System Reqs:
Cloud gaming means that the gameplay is rendered remotely in real-time, then sent to your screen as encoded video transmissions. This eliminates the need for local hardware, other than the bare essentials needed to decode the video (which is very efficient), and a beefy internet connection.
– Many MMO gamers already have strong connection speeds, or would not balk at upgrading their speed to play a new title they were excited about.
– The MMO industry is known for keeping reqs low in order to cater to a more casual playerbase.
** By eliminating the need for high end hardware at the customer’s end, you can push the specs of your game to unseen heights. Making prettier games, that run even on very low end systems.
** In fact, if the game is DESIGNED to be an OnLive exclusive, you can even push the envelope of what’s available at the bleeding edge of technology, and go beyond the graphics capabilities of ANY consumer.
– No more time spent ensuring your client runs on dozens of different hardware setups. You can eliminate that portion of your development cycle by ensuring that your cloud-based servers all have the same hardware. Compatability issues become a thing of the past.

In summary:
If a major development shop joined up with OnLive to deliver a product, it could potentially revolutionize what gamers expect from an MMO. By delivering higher quality graphics, eliminating downloads, and destroying technological barriers for entry other than a strong internet connection speed.

Simply put, the playing field would change. And it’s my opinion that games delivering their content using the current model of downloading patches and

DEFIANCE

Defiance (interview)

Trion Worlds is partnering with SyFy (NBC) to create an evolving story that ties together across the game, and a TV series.

This partnership originated on the NBC/Universal side, so it’s possible that the SHOW comes first.

Yes, there will be an ongoing TV series airing alongside the game, focusing on a cast of a few primary characters.

These characters will also appear in game, and if their actions in either affect the world as a whole, players of the game will see those changes occur, and see their world evolve dynamically.
It also goes the other way — players or guilds that have an impact on the game’s dynamic world may find themselves written into the script of the TV show (though probably only as a mention, and not an actual appearance).

Also launching on PC, PS3 and Xbox360 at the same time.

Devs are “not talking about cross-platform at this time” but other news sites are already reporting that players on all 3 platforms will be able to interact.
If true, it would be the first to break down those barriers.

Trion Worlds says the game shares elements of Borderlands, Red Dead Redemption and Halo.

From a few fans that saw the demo, it’s also been compared to Tabula Rasa.
Could we finally have the spiritual successor we’ve been waiting for?

Arkfall events, very similar to “rift” dynamics.

In addition to standard missions (aka quests, but geographically triggered).

DUST 514

Dust 514 details integration with EVE (1, 2, 3)

Exclusive to PS3 (and PSVita?)

Not a true MMO, but rather a match-based FPS.
Although each individual battle may contain “massive” numbers of participants, there’s no persistence within Dust514 itself.
These battles represent, and control, resource conquest within EVE.
For example, an EVE player might want to build a space elevator on a planet, in order to take control of that planet’s resources and facilities. He could set up a contract with a Dust 514 player (or even multiple players) to attack a certain point at a certain time, and if a Dust 514 player can win that battle, the EVE player’s corporation could earn control of that area, and all of the spoils therein.

Separate game, unified economy.

Respawning and re-equipping in Dust costs ISK, which is earned easily by directly contracting with pilots and corporations in EVE.
Once a contract is fulfilled, the ISK is sent from EVE to DUST.
Sure, that means you could “contract” your own toon in the other game. But the political intrigue doesn’t stop there.
It’s well known that the majority of what you might consider EVE’s “end-game” is played only by the most powerful and well-connected players. They are all a part of massive corporations that seek strength in numbers, and overcome their enemies through a combination of skill and tactics on the battlefield, and political machination and espionage behind closed doors.
The addition of these ground-based skirmishes is just another layer to the already complicated interaction of these powerful corporations. And it’s possible that a skilled DUST merc could find himself contacted by multiple corps, and deciding the fate of the larger galaxy through his successes. Or even via his failures.
It won’t be unheard of for a Merc to accept a large budget contract to “win” a match, only to also sign an off-the-record deal with a rival corporation to throw the match for a larger sum.
Dusters can also join EVE corps, and dedicate themselves to a single purpose instead of merc’ing out for their whole lives.

Two games, one war

There will be airstrikes, and ground-to-space attacks
Meaning that the games are not as separate as they may at first feel.
Also meaning that a group of ground mercs playing DUST won’t necessarily want to risk assaulting a planet’s command center unless they have a fleet in orbit protection against retaliation from an associated EVE corporation.

UI design?

While CCP has plenty of experience running massive worlds and maintaining online servers, its only prior product is EVE.
EVE is a mire of spreadsheets and UI elements that combine to form an immediate information overload even for low-end players. By the time you’re a veteran of the game, you look at boxes filled with complicated text and figures more frequently than you get to enjoy the stunning beauty of the game’s space environments and ships.
A shooter requires a streamlined, easy-to-use, intuitive and minimalistic interface. Although there are plenty of models to aspire to on the market, CCP is going to have to overcome their own tendency to overload players HUDs with information. Keep it simple, stupid!

CCP is marketing this to NON-EVE PLAYERS

Cost to play?

Free, with box cost. (no box, distributed via PSN)
But the box cost is refunded in ISK (which can even be spent to buy game time in EVE).
You can then purchase additional ISK if necessary. And since re-equipping after death will require ISK, it may very well be an expensive game to play, if you’re not very good at it.

To date, no other MMO has launched an entire second GAME that directly interacts with their predecessor project. The interconnectivity of the economic and political portions of EVE and DUST set an unprecedented standard as an evolutionary leap forward towards at last experiencing dynamic, player-driven, sandbox events at every scale of human experience.

Other E3 News

New Titles:
Wizardry Online
Dragon Nest

More Info on Known Titles:
TERA Online announces Political System (1, 2, Q&A)
Black Prophecy enters Open Beta
SWTOR… was there (1, 2

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Planetside & Hellgate | MMOrgue 5

chris — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:13:00 +0000

The much-maligned sub-genre of MMO Shooters has been an intense and gorey battlefield since the first of these titles rolled off the production line back in 2001. Since that time, two major titles have come to serve as examples within this archetype: Planetside and Hellgate: London.

Unfortunately, these two titles are frequently held up as examples of what NOT to do, rather than being revered. In today’s episode, I’ll examine each of their failures and see if I can make a solid case for why each of these titles was considered a flop, despite reinventing a whole genre.

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Show Notes:

E3 is underway, and despite the incredible announcements that’ve so far been made by the big players at their flashy press conferences, very little has come out on the MMO front. Despite this apparent lack of MMO-themed information, I’ll be keeping a close watch on the continued coverage of the event over the next few days and hope to dedicate next week’s episode to a recap of the festivities.

But instead of looking forward to those announcements, today’s episode is going to look BACK on a specific facet of the MMO world that has had a rocky history. Despite FPS ruling the single-player, console, and multiplayer markets to a certain degree, they’ve never found solid footing in the land of MMOs. In order to understand why, today’s episode is going to dig into the meat of two specific MMO shooters:

Planetside, which is long past its days of glory, and gearing up for a sequel at the hands of SOE.

Each of these titles, and many of their unnamed brethren, suffered from many of the same flaws that have plagued the MMOFPS subgenre since its inception in 2001, with the launch of World War II Online. And because of these faults and failures of the past, this type of game has never made a name for itself in the MMO landscape.

However, developers around the world have not yet given up hope on the concept of the MMO shooter. So today’s show is going to review the major faults and faux paus of these two noteworthy titles, and lay out my opinions on what future developers need to do to find success in this area, where others have failed.

PLANETSIDE / NEXT

Released in 2003.
Balance issues and population imbalances led to widespread loss of subscriptions.
By 2009, all 6 original servers had been slowly merged into a single world.
Early gameplay also suffered from stability issues, and frequent network lag.

The GOOD:
– Thorough tutorials
– Interesting advancement system with many unique choices to make.
– Instant action is a great feature in a PvP-focused game.

The BAD:
– The ONLY thing to do, is fight over bases against other factions. Very 1-dimensional.
– No reason to defend, except for the love of battle. Nothing gained by claiming territory, except safe passage to another territory.
– Landscapes are all featureless and bland.
– A single battle over a single base can last HOURS, and success can be determined by attrition instead of actual skill or strategy.
– Vehicles are way overpowered compared to infantry unit types.
– Steep learning curve, and the amount of information to absorb may turn players off that just want to shoot enemies (typical fans of shooter games).
– No solo viability. Squad or Die.

Subscription fee may have been the nail in the coffin. In a world of FREE FPS games, why pay for one?

SOE shuts down The Agency
Also confirmed delay of NEXT due to switching development to a new Engine.

HELLGATE

Disclaimer: Barely an MMO.

Hellgate Relaunch!

US/EU shut down in 2009, continued actively in Eastern markets by Hanbitsoft.
In late 2010, Hanbitsoft obtained the rights to international distribution.
Currently undergoing the final phases of Closed Beta.

Why did it fail?

Boring gameplay mechanics (hold down the trigger while you spin/move) and lackluster abilities.
Massive engine stability issues. The game was rarely playable for more than an hour without crashing.
No narrative. With so many Diablo 2 devs on board, more was expected of the story.
Incongruity of mechanics and incomplete implementation. (Turret-based shooting gallery, improper scaling)
No Social Tools: LFG, Guild Support
- This was DEATH to a game that launched at the dawn of “Web 2.0” when MySpace and similar sites were connecting people in new and exciting ways.
Subscription models … game was compared to Half-Life, Guild Wars and Diablo II (all free) and yet charged $10/mo for a subscription.
- Box cost got you a stripped down version of the game, had to pay monthly to play multiplayer but the social tools SUCKed, leaving people on both ends of the subscription model feeling gypped.
- Then there was the Lifetimer/Founder fiasco, when the game shut down…
  - $150 = 15 months. Game was only active for 10 months before the shut down was announced (which actually happened 5 months later.)

General commentary:

Another relaunch/resurrection from an Eastern company, of a failed Western title (APB)
- This trend could represent more than just hope for gamers – it could come to be seen as a bail-out for investors and publishers of upcoming MMOs.
  - Not finding the success you wanted/needed at launch? Pawn the game off to a company that cranks out F2P relaunches, and try and recoup some of your costs.
This game is an excellent example of Hype Gone Bad.
- The developers, many of whom had worked on Diablo and Diablo II, compared the game to Half-Life, Diablo II and Guild Wars at different times.
  - All of these games were defining titles of their individual genres.
    - The buggy, incomplete and LAZY release of Hellgate was a devastating disappointment.

Why the relaunch might find modest success:

Leech off the hype for Diablo III
Under-represented subgenre (FPS Action RPG)
Very low system requirements
Free to play!

SUMMARY:

In examining these two flopped FPS, we see a number of similarities…

1 – Subscription models don’t match the playerbase.

Fans of shooters can get their online jollies playing a billion different FPS games with no subscription costs. Charging for access puts you at a significant disadvantage.
MMO players want a game with more substance than is typically offered in a FPS. With customization of both abilities and avatars.
- In other words, you’re charging the wrong amount, to the wrong audience.

2 – Social tools added as an afterthought.

When you’re creating an online environment, your ability to have players play together must be considered one of your most important gameplay mechanics.
- Instant matchmaking, auto-grouping, and easy social hotkeys must take the place of conversation-based grouping, when your gameplay is fast-paced and action-centric. (In a word, more FPS-like)
Both of the above games seem to make the assumption that their players would talk to eachother and form bonds through conversation and interaction.
- This is a disconnect with the type of player that would typically play these games.
  - They don’t want to talk, they want to shoot.
Seamless voice chat integration will make future MMOFPS games more likely to succeed on this point.

3 – Poor/shoddy implementation of features, rushed development schedules.

To be fair, this is becoming more of a common problem in the MMO industry in general, and is not unique to shooters.
- Given the track record that these “incomplete” launches have, it boggles my mind that it continues to happen on such a regular basis.
However, on that note, I’m starting to see more and more release and beta windows get pushed back and delayed, across the industry.
- As much as this upsets me as a player, it also potentially means more developers giving more care and attention to the product they will have ready at time of launch.

FIREFALL
Firefall avoids industry-only conventions (E3), wants to talk to gamers

Cinematic Trailer (made by Blur)
Gameplay Trailer
10 minutes of gameplay footage
6 minutes over-the-shoulder PVP from PAX East 2011

Release Date: “before the end of 2011”
Official Game Site

E3 Videos from Machinima:
https://www.youtube.com/show?p=dqBjY9Gxj1I&tracker=show0

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E3 Wrangle-Up | LOTSO 10

chris — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:15:37 +0000

We take a look back at E3 2010, what were the big wins, the losers, and everything in between. Microsoft demo’s Kinect, have they changed our minds? Is the PS Move a better Wii? Or is Sony really bringing something new here? We discuss! The 3DS has us torn, it’s one big step forward, but maybe a few important steps back? We share our thoughts. OnLive had a big showing at E3 this year and we share our pre-hands on thoughts on OnLive and what it could mean if it really works. Tune in next episode for a full review!

All this and more, on this week’s Legend of the Stoned Owl!