Sunday, December 16, 2007

Step inside your computer game with Israeli technology

Video game enthusiasts will soon enjoy their virtual recreation in a whole new way, with the Israeli development of a real-time motion-capture interface which makes it possible to play computer games without using a controller.

Imaging technology specialists 3DV Systems, based in the Galilee city of Yokneam, have announced the release of the ZCam, which is able to perceive depth and can recognize human gestures, translating movements in the physical world into on-screen action.

"ZCam enables gamers, in a way never before possible, to interact intuitively and naturally with games," said Zvika Klier, CEO of the company. "We invite content developers to join us in creating a new innovative experience, and are very excited by the reaction of the developer community so far."

According to 3DV's Klier, as gamers become the interface, the game design will determine how the inputs work: motion can be navigated simply with a thumb or the entire body can become the controller through three-dimensional movement. The player can be represented in the game with his/her own real-time image and the game can be operated either bare-handed or with a designated object, replacing the need for a control pad.

The ZCam is based on 3DV's technology which enables cameras to capture the depth dimension of objects in real time, high speed and very high resolution. According to a review of the ZCam in the San Jose Mercury News, the technology - based on a time-of-flight scientific principle - sends out infrared pulses that bounce off the player and are reflected back to the camera, where sensors pick up the time it takes for the bounce-backs.

"The light is captured with a fast, accurate shutter that uses proprietary electro-optical technology developed by 3DV and implemented in a three-piece semiconductor chip set," wrote the reviewer. "An image sensor picks up the reflected light from the player and measures the distance between the player and the camera. The brighter the light, the closer the object. The darker it is, the farther away. The system corrects for other infrared sources in the room such as remotes."

3DV's founders come from a military background with an emphasis in optics. Six years ago, they built a camera that was used by broadcasters to slip in a fake background behind a newscaster. Since then, they've been devoted to developing the ZCam. While other possible uses include applications in the automotive and robotics industries, the 10-year-old firm, which employs 45, expects the greatest demand for the product to come from the computer game industry - estimated to be worth more than $30 billion worldwide.

And their intent seems to be on target if initial reaction is any gauge. The Mercury News columnist was evidently duly impressed after trying out the ZCam: "Using a prototype camera with a laptop, Klier showed me how he could fly an airplane using hand gestures. He moved his hands back on an imaginary joystick and the plane on the screen pulled up. He turned his hands and the plane began to bank. He lifted his thumb and pressed down and the plane began shooting its machine guns at an enemy plane. I took over and did the same."

Klier said that he expects to be able to mass market the ZCam and a game that works with it for less than $100 in the second half of 2008.

Source: Israel21

The Witcher RPG video game demo download

We encourage anyone who’s been on the fence about the game to check out the demo and to begin their adventures in the world of The Witcher. We advise that users from United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France should use a link to the E-shop, people from other countries should check a direct link from Metaboli. Links currently don't work for people in United States - the appropriate ones will be given as soon as possible.

The 1.97GB demo can be found at one of these locations:

Computer Games Romania - http://computergames.ro/en/downloads/viewitem/id/9832/name/the-witcher-demo.html
FileFront - http://files.filefront.com/The+Witcher+Demo/;9255264;/fileinfo.html
GamersHell - http://www.gamershell.com/news/44120.html
PixelRage - http://www.pixelrage.org/downloads/The-Witcher-Demo/3292.html
The Witcher Official Website - http://www.thewitcher.com/community/en/www/download_the_demo.html

Mythos video game and beta update and patch download

Flagship Studios has released new update for Mythos has been released that adds tons of new features, improvements, and bug fixes. With this new patch, there is no need to to reinstall the game or download anything, because as soon as you log in you will be automatically patched and ready to go. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mythos, it is an online, action RPG that is free to download and free to play. Set in the land of Uld - a fantasy world arising from the ashes of an epic-long war of darkness - players assume the roles of fantasy heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest through entirely randomized dungeons and environments.

FEATURES

Guilds have been added! Speak to the Guildmaster in Tulin’s Hope to start one at a cost of 5 Gold.
Hardcore Mode has been added, for extra challenge! In Hardcore, when you die - your character is gone forever, so be careful!
Elite Mode has been added. In Elite mode, monsters are faster, more aggressive, and tougher. Champions appear more often. You can only sell items for half of regular price. - Note that Elite and Hardcore players cannot party or trade with players who do not match their setup, to preserve the economies of these different play styles.
Re-specs are now allowed (although not in Hardcore or Elite mode) - speak to a Skillmaster in Stonehill or Tulin’s hope. Re-specs are free from level 1 through 5, and above that, cost starts at 1 Gold and increases from there. There is a maximum of 3 re-specs beyond level 5
Quests are now Trackable - check them in your log to view them onscreen at all times
Maximum Questlog size increased to 8 quests.
Hardware Mouse Cursors! This should make mouse response lightning fast.
Achievements system has been added - complete goals to earn equippable achievements that give you extra bonuses! Unlock a new achievement slot every 10 levels
Emotes - there is an emote button above the chat pane that will show you the options
Zivia’s Puzzle Box
Party Finder – post your party and description and meet some new friends! You can also post yourself as looking for group to the list.
Ignore List is now account-based and actually saves.

CONTENT ADDITIONS

* Mossy Gothic Tileset.
* Sand Temple Tileset.
* Goblin City Tileset.
* 2 New Boss Battles.
* Many new monsters.
* New monster spawn layouts for Zone 2 that are much imporved.
* New Gadgeteer Dusters and Mage gear - including non-robe Mage gear.
* Tulin’s Hope has guard patrols.
* New socketable gemstones.
* New level decorations and breakables in zone 2 outdoors.
* Lots of new sounds.
* Many particle updates.
* A few new quests

IMPROVEMENTS

* Quest titles are color-coded by difficulty relative to your level.
* Maximum town player population has been increased.
* Chat instance size has been increased.
* Faster auto-map performance.
* You can purchase directly to equipment slots if they are empty.
* Ants are now more interesting as monsters.
* Zombies now no longer crawl out of the same hole.
* Skills only charge mana once they have fired, so you don’t lose mana if interrupted during a warmup.
* You can now see party member mana.
* Chat box now waits a second before fading in, and does not fade in if LMB is down.
* Questlog improved - shows the full text of quests.
* Quest system streamlined - no more multiple clicking to accept quests! Quests automatically advance to the next chained quest too, so you don’t have to re-click on the NPC.
* Chat enhancements. (context prefix, auto switch to pane when chatting to a different pane, etc.)
* All buildings/props now have bottom faces for nicer vanity views.
* Bargain Hunter shows you item requirements, and has a new icon to help identify him.
* Hirelings can have equipment and can be healed (use CTRL-hotkey to quickly heal them with potions from your Active Bar, or drag from your inventory onto their portrait.)
* Improved travel menu lists locations on the right. You may travel by clicking directly on the name. Additionally, legs of the journey are color coded to show you the furthest extent to which you may warp.
* Luck and Speed Bonuses displayed in details pane.
* Changing options that require restart should notify you that this is the case.
* Random quest-giver has better loot, and 3 choices.
* Chat box background is a little more opaque.
* Anchorstone can be placed in your Active Bar.

TUNING

* Leveling rate improved - monsters now give about 30-35% more XP.
* Monsters about 15% tougher.
* Rifle damage nerfed past level 7 or so - it was pretty excessive.
* Partied players now get 100% credit for each monster kill.
* Quest XP balanced where it was ridiculously low (or oddly high).
* Trinkets now appear with higher level random stats at later levels.
* Trinkets have varying level requirements - low-level trinkets have no level requirement.
* Fang Rexes, Tongued Lashers, Boars have improved HP.
* Flaming Fist now has a higher interrupt chance, making it more useful.
* Early quest ranges re-leveled to take into account our faster leveling rates.
* Epic dungeons no longer give solo players full party credit (it was 3x!) for each kill.
* Mage robes now get damage effect affixes.
* Hollow Archer damage and refire speed reduced, accuracy reduced as well.
* Wider hit buffer on attack ranges to give you a better chance of hitting fleeing monsters.
* Pathing is improved when pathing to unreachable locations.
* More revised level layouts to make different level types more distinct.
* Item colors have been reorganized - the current progression is Green->Blue->Purple->Gold->Yellow(Unique)

FIXES

* Friends list actually scrolls now, and properly sorts by tab.
* Several memory leaks repaired.
* Various network connectivity and stability fixes that we inherited from Hellgate. Thanks, guys!
* When going to a map location which you cannot fully warp to, you will begin walking at the nearest location - not the beginning!
* Pet icons shouldn’t disappear, and neither should party members if they are on the same level.
* Monsters now respond to hits outside of their range - no more potshotting them at the corner of the screen!
* Disappearing item bug should be fixed.
* Pets shouldn’t lurk in town after logout.
* Hopeful fix for the unloadable characters?
* Student Shoulders and Master Shoulders fixed.
* Sky in intro scene shouldn’t look crummy on Low quality shaders.
* Many quest fixes.
* Blurry texture in Heath clearing fixed.
* Attempted fix for that nasty cave corner where everything gets stuck.
* Fixed up some of the crummier item affixes.
* Various incorrect skill icons fixed.
* Satyr male chain coif fixed.
* NPC satyrs now have horns.
* Fixed weird disappearing bosses with out of range resistances.
* Fixed irritating map bug that made it difficult to click on a location.
* Fixed goblin runt starting levels.
* Fix for some improperly leveled dungeons.
* Several bugs with Hireling damage and speeds fixed.
* Fixed monster poisons.
* Failed trades now show a proper message instead of a window that blinks immediately off.
* Fixed some oddly fullbright models.
* Tongued Lashers can stun again.
* Spin buttons on character select larger.
* A ridiculous ton of skill fixes and balancing.
* Stuck skills can now get ‘unstuck’ by casting the skill again.
* Warping champions now don’t do it so often.

SKILL BALANCE WORK

* Piercing Barrage was often doing double damage, as well as too much of that. Fixed. Also doesn’t do infinitesimal poison damage in early tier.
* Suppression and Mind Control widgets now no longer target the same monster.
* Blood Command missiles show proper speed on client.
* Flame Serpents third node damage bonus doubled.
* Razor Aura reduces max mana by 25% while on.
* Human male Gadgeteer Deafening Shot animation fixed.
* Bauble trap has a little less health.
* And many, many more balance changes! More than we can remember to list.

NOTE
* The Friends system has been rebuilt, and so you will need to reconstruct your Friends list on your next login. The new system remains account based, but is much improved on the server side.

Patch here

Mythos video game and beta update and patch download

Gamesplay exclusice - FIFA Street 3 video from EA Sports

Exclusive Debut Gameplay - FIFA Street 3 - Electronic Arts

Posted Dec 13, 2007

Check out the first-ever gameplay footage.

Arcade style soccer has never looked better on a console. FIFA Street has been a disappointing series so far, but if this video is any indication, it looks like things could change.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

A very real future for virtual worlds

Second Life has long been seen as the bell-wether for the growing interest in virtual spaces. Here, founder Philip Rosedale talks to the BBC News website about the past and future of the parallel world he is helping to create.

These are interesting times for Second Life. In the four short years it has existed, it has seen media coverage go from hysterical to hectoring. It has been hailed as both a harbinger of the next big thing and a brake on the burgeoning development of virtual worlds.

Speculation about its future has intensified as news emerged that chief technology officer Cory Ondrejka, who helped design and build Second Life, has left the company.

But said Philip Rosedale, one of the founders of Linden Lab which oversees the running of Second Life, the departure will not dent the vision all the original engineers had for their creation.

"Cory is a fantastic guy, he's fantastically capable and we will miss him a lot," said Mr Rosedale.

More from the BBC

Conan video game delivers fists of fun - review

The legend of Conan the barbarian, the many-muscled pulp novel creation of Robert E. Howard, has been delivered in full gory glory with "Conan" the video game, a fantastic release thick with violence and gorgeous graphics.

The Conan character is perhaps remembered best from the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, where the protagonist broke loose and took vengeance on anyone who dared stand in his way. You'll get that same bloody retribution feel here, but with better dialogue and a fuller story line.

This "Conan" ($59.99;€41 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) battles several big boss enslavers and their monstrous minions. His efforts are done to aid A'Kanna, a female warrior trying to avenge the destruction of her homeland by the evil wizard Graven.

As I grabbed the Sony PS3 controller and dove into this drama I quickly realized one important thing — nearly every character in this game is angry and doing grave bodily harm. And I mean everyone.

It all comes together seamlessly. The character's movements are fairly free-ranging, yet the angles are easy enough on the eyes as to not make you dizzy. There's no dual-thumb twiddling necessary like first-person shooter games where you must manage your X and Y axis constantly while trying to navigate the game map and avoid harm. In "Conan," the screen swivels around nicely and you get a third-person perspective as you storm through various combat scenes.

Once engaged, Conan delivers crushing fist, foot and weapon blows. He can block and parry attacks, and snatch up better weapons from his vanquished victims for future killing combo moves.

Sprinkled throughout the journey are various hidden treasures, some tucked away in large jars and chests, that rejuvenate Conan's strength and give him enough experience to buy and master new death blows. The "elbow stun" and "fast strike finisher" were my favorites, the latter sending foes flying upward with a slice from my blade.

This title is not for the faint of heart, or thin of skin. Blood is let at every turn. Enslaved women wearing nothing from the waist up and not a whole lot below are chained to fortress walls. When freed, some of them exclaim to Conan "My clothes! Where are my clothes?" I was a bit offended by that aspect, and had difficulty simply chalking it up to the world of male gaming fantasy.

Overall, it's probably the best, most engaging game I've played all year. Even the cut scenes are works of art. "Conan" shows what game developers can deliver if they truly commit to a project and pay attention to details necessary to bring an iconic figure like Conan to life.

Horned hats off to THQ Inc., Havok, Nihilistic Software and all of the gaming brains behind this title.

Four out of four stars.

Source: International Herald Tribune

1 trillion calculations a second - Intel say no need for hand controllers on games systems

Advances in chip design are prompting companies to take advantage of the potential power. But the necessary new markets and software are lagging

During the last technology boom, Dan Reed, a longtime supercomputer researcher and tech policy expert, stayed put in a professorship at the University of Illinois and managed its National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), even as the fabled lab hatched Netscape and helped set off the explosive growth of the Internet. During the dot-com bust that followed, Reed hunkered down in another faculty job at the University of North Carolina.

Now the computer industry is poised for a second transformation, in which supercomputing technology is trickling down to corporate data centers and desktop PCs, supplying them with unprecedented power. This time, Reed isn't missing out. On Dec. 3, he became the latest high-profile hire in a stable of supercomputer scientists that Microsoft (MSFT) is assembling in Redmond, Wash., to study how technology that has been the province of top-flight universities, government research labs, and a few huge corporations can transform everyday computing. "We have an opportunity to rethink issues at a deep level," says Reed, 50. "I said if the surf was up again, I was going to grab my board."

BYE-BYE JOYSTICKS
The waves look inviting for others, too. Inspired by advances in chip design that will likely keep the performance of today's already powerful computers arcing steadily upward for years, tech companies are devising new scenarios in entertainment, engineering, product design, and medicine to take advantage of the potential power. IBM (IBM), the developer of the world's most powerful supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, also supplies processors for graphics-intensive video game consoles from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. Sony's PlayStation 3 features an IBM chip called the Cell that's also used in huge supercomputers that can easily fill a basketball court.

Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, the two biggest suppliers of computer chips, have managed to cram four so-called processing cores onto their products. That's the equivalent of strapping four PCs together and jamming them into the space of a large envelope—and not much thicker. But the chipmakers don't expect to stop there. They plan to have dozens of processors on silicon chips within a decade. Marshalling all that power could open doors to new ways of interacting with machines.

Intel has talked to console video game makers about using chips that can perform in excess of 1 trillion calculations per second (BusinessWeek.com, 2/12/07) in future products that use cameras to track body motion to control the action, instead of using buttons or joysticks. "We imagine some future generation of [Nintendo's] Wii won't have hand controllers," says Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer. "You just set up the cameras around the room and wave your hand like you're playing tennis." Intel missed out on supplying chips for the current generation of game systems, and is trying to gain a foothold there.

A DEARTH OF NEW MARKETS
But what may dash the dreams of Intel and other hardware makers is a lack of inexpensive, off-the-shelf software to bring supercomputing to the masses. For now, these sophisticated machines require equally sophisticated and, in many cases, custom-developed programs tended to by highly paid engineers. That's why Microsoft is building a brain trust and handing out funds to schools doing work in the field. The software giant is underwriting grants to universities to study how supercomputer-style programming can be applied to personal machines. The company also is building data centers to serve up its new Live online software that a few years ago would have been more at home in a research lab.

Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard on Nov. 13 delivered a new class of mini-supercomputer, designed for small engineering and biotech companies, that costs around $50,000. Callaway Golf is an early HP customer. And IBM, Google, and Yahoo! have launched initiatives in "cloud computing", harnessing supercomputing power for new Web-delivered software for applications like modeling risk in financial portfolios, generating computer graphics, or understanding conversational typed or spoken queries.

Sony: PS3 "infinitely more fun" than the Nintendo Wii

Sony CEO confident that the console will "come into its own"

Sony Corporation CEO Howard Stringer has said in an interview that he believes PlayStation 3 games are "infinitely more fun" than those on Nintendo's Wii.

That follows an upturn in the console's recent sales fortunes, and a better situation on like-for-like sales when compared to the Wii - although Nintendo has admitted it is unable to manufacture enough hardware units to meet demand.

But Stringer told the Guardian: "We've some catching up to do, but at least we have the opportunity to connect the PS3 with the PlayStation Portable and beyond."

"I'm happy the Wii seems to be running a bit short of hardware," Stringer went on to say. "The PlayStation 3 will come into its own because its [high-end games] are infinitely more fun, demanding and exciting."

And looking to the future, he admitted to feeling more confident. "I'm glad that the last few weeks have generated excitement about PlayStation 3," he said. "Everyone's stopped talking about it the way they were six months ago."

Sales of the PS3 in the US tripled after Thanksgiving, and are still performing much better into the Christmas period than before the price cut.

Gamez comment - Better than the Wii - That's why they had to cut the price!

Source: Games Industry

Square Enix wins Final Fantasy movie copying case

Music video stole heavily from Advent Children

Square Enix has won its legal battle with Korean entertainment company Fantom for plagiarising the company's Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children animated movie.

According to a judge, Fantom had "illegally used 80 per cent of the storyline, setting, characters and their style of dress" for a music video by singer Ivy.

"Square Enix will continue to take decisive action against any infringements upon the company's intellectual property, recognising that this property is one of our most crucial resources," said Yasuhiko Hasegawa, general counsel of Square Enix, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"This judgement by the Seoul Central District Court is stringent in comparison to other copyright infringement cases in South Korea, and we appreciate that the maliciousness of this infringement has been recognised in a public forum," he added.

Fantom Entertainment has been fined USD 10,900, with additional fines each of USD 6500 for Lee Han-woo, director of the company, and Hong Jeong-ho, director of the music video.

Square Enix says its Final Fantasy franchise has sold more than 75 million copies over its 20 year history.

Source: Games Industry

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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Gamez comment - Better than the Wii - That's why they had to cut the price!