 | Battlefield 4 on Xbox One could feature head-tracking Sep 17th 2013, 18:39 DICE examining possibility of using Kinect sensor to allow players to peek and lean around corners, speak voice commands. 
Battlefield 4 on Xbox One could feature Kinect-powered head-tracking, executive producer Patrick Bach said in a new interview on the Xbox Wire. He explained that DICE is "looking into" features that "enhance" controls, including using Kinect for peeking and leaning, as well as further head-tracking. This is in addition to using Kinect for voice commands. In July, DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson said Battlefield 4 would use Kinect on Xbox One only "where it will make sense." "We have a pretty pragmatic view [on Kinect]," Magnus Troedsson said at the time. "Instead of just trying to tick all the boxes of features you can do with new hardware, we look at what actually adds value [for] our players." Also in the Xbox Wire interview, Bach confirmed that Battlefield 4 on Xbox One will support 64 players and run at 60 frames-per-second. "This is a big deal for us because it's always something we've wanted to deliver but we couldn't do it without taking away from the core 'Battlefield' experience," he said. Battlefield 4 launches on October 29 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The PlayStation 4 version arrives on November 12, while the Xbox One iteration hits November 19. A current-generation console and PC multiplayer beta for Battlefield 4 begins on October 1. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Diablo III auction houses closing March 2014 Sep 17th 2013, 18:18 Blizzard Entertainment to remove the gold and real-money auction house system from Diablo III next year. 
Blizzard Entertainment announced today that it will remove the gold and real-money auction house system from Diablo III on March 18, 2014. "When we initially designed and implemented the auction houses, the driving goal was to provide a convenient and secure system for trades," Blizzard production director John Hight said in a statement. "But as we've mentioned on different occasions, it became increasingly clear that despite the benefits of the AH system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot," he added. "With that in mind, we want to let everyone know that we've decided to remove the gold and real-money auction house system from Diablo III." Hight said that the closing of the Diablo III auction houses, along with the Loot 2.0 system that Blizzard is currently developing alongside the Reaper of Souls expansion, will result in a "much more rewarding game experience for our players." He further explained that Blizzard is still "working out the details" regarding how it will close the Diablo III auction house system. The reason for announcing its closure six months ahead of time is to "give everyone as much advance notice as possible," Hight said. "We will keep everyone informed as we work through this process," he said. Check out the video below for more regarding Blizzard's decision to close the Diablo III auction house system. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Ninjas in Pyjamas, Taeja take DreamHack Bucharest Championship Sep 17th 2013, 17:13 "It was a great weekend for both DreamHack and eSports in Romania," DreamHack head of eSports says. 
18-year-old Korean StarCraft II player Yun "TaeJa" Young Suh and Sweden-based organization Ninjas in Pyjamas won the StarCraft II and Counter Strike: Global Offensive Championships, respectively, at DreamHack Bucharest. "It was a great weekend for both DreamHack and eSports in Romania," DreamHack head of eSports Tomas "greykarn" Hermansson told GameSpot. "And it was definitely a great weekend for TaeJa (StarCraft II), NiP-Gaming (Counter-Strike: GO), and H2K (League of Legends)--our new DreamHack champions. This is our second event in Romania and we have doubled all our numbers and more from last year! A big leap forward!" The young Terran player signed to longtime StarCraft-based organization Team Liquid went undefeated to now be only the second player to ever win a DreamHack StarCraft II major event twice. Yun racked up wins over WCS Season 1 Champion Lee "INnoVation" Shin Hyung and two-time MLG Champion Lee "Life" Seung Hyun his way to a combined 21-4 in map score, and 9-0 from the Round of 16 on. Yun swept SH Lee convincingly 3-0 in the finals. "I think it's great to see another summer of TaeJa," says Liquid General Manager Robyn Nymann. "He's been doing incredible lately as his wrists have gotten a lot better than they were at the end of last year. It's allowed him to practice a lot more and consistently. It also goes without saying that he has a lot of confidence again in all the matchups, which is important to him, he says himself, as he thinks his control is improved when not lacking confidence." [ Watch Video ] Yun's wrist injuries have been prevalent since the beginning of the year, causing a slump between March and June and prompting him to consider retirement. That won’t be happening anytime soon. "He's the complete package at the moment. There are no holes, no weaknesses in his game in any matchup," WCS Europe Caster Shaun "Apollo" Clark tells GameSpot. "His builds are perfect, strategies are the best, he doesn't make mistakes, reads the game well, and his control is difficult to match. "Innovation is weak in Terran vs. Terran. He doesn't understand it. I feel his raw skill always carried him through it but in recent times it’s really showing that he doesn't know whether to play aggressive or defensive, and how to deal with all the different openings that Terran has." Nymann believes Yun may have been overlooked this event because of presence of other Korean superstars, including Lee "Jaedong" Jae Dong and Lee "Flash" Young Ho. He had up to 30 predictions before the event given to him including professional players and casters, and only two people had Yun in their top two prediction--one of them being Team Liquid Owner Victor Goosens. Clark also believes Yun would have been a favorite had JD Lee and YH Lee not been present. "I knew his strength and the general strength of our team going into DreamHack Bucharest and I had great hopes for a win in both SC2L and the main event itself"’ says Nymann. With DreamHack Bucharest in the books, the player lineup for the finals at DreamHack Winter is nearly complete. Several players that competed in Bucharest have qualified and will be joined by the likes of Mun "MMA" Seong Won who had his own comeback performance, Sweden's Johan "NaNiwa" Lucchesi, and lone American-representative Michael "Goswser" Dobler. Swedish Counter-Strike powerhouse Ninjas in Pyjamas won yet another major championship in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. After a rough start in the group stage including a controversial loss to Fnatic, NiP bounced back big with wins over France's VeryGames, the new Ukranian-based squad Astana Dragons, and fellow Swedes Lemondogs in the finals. NiP have now won over 10 major international CS:GO events, including four DreamHack championships. "It feels great winning again, especially since we had a pretty rough start in the groupstage, and frankly all of teams are improving a lot," says NiP owner and former professional player Emil "HeatoN" Christensen. "We were also really impressed by Astana Dragons. I was so nervous that I didn't know what to do during that game! I think with some more practice they will become extremely dangerous." [ Watch Video ] "We're super happy about winning DreamHack Bucharest," says NiP member Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund. "As many people had heard, the group stage was a really weird situation for us. But we managed to turn it around for the playoffs and make it all the way to stand as champions." "I'm always a bit nervous in the first game in a tournament but it usually 'releases' after that game is over. I felt that we shouldn't be worried at all. It's nothing against other teams at all, but I believe so much in my team that I don't think anyone will really get’I think if people haven't seen our game against 'team_x' at Dreamhack Summer, there is a game that pretty much sums up the fakenick I used in 1.6. Don't Stop Believin.'" Alesund and his team have won over $200,000 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Ninjas in Pyjamas will be one of many teams attending the newly announced $250,000 DreamHack Winter event, where prize money has been funded by the community. Alesund sees the team bonding unlike any he's been part of previously. "I think one of our biggest strengths is the friendship we are having. I don't think we've had this close of a relationship in this team that we've had in any other teams I've played in. You must also take in how awesome our organization is as well. They are helping us in any way they can!" DreamHack Winter will take place November 28-30 in Jönköping, Sweden, and will feature tournaments in StarCraft II, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: GO, Quake Live, and Super Street Fighter IV. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | UC Santa Cruz hires John and Brenda Romero Sep 17th 2013, 15:55 Industry veterans will run new professional game development degree program at California university. 
The University of California at Santa Cruz announced today that it has hired Brenda and John Romero to head up a new program that leads to a master's degree in games and playable media at the school's Silicon Valley Center. Brenda Romero was appointed the school's first game designer in residence at the Center for Games and Playable Media in January 2013. She will now serve as program director, where she will oversee curriculum and instructors, teach and mentor students, and establish connections with industry companies. As for John Romero, he will work as creative director for the master's program at UCSC, teaching courses, mentoring students, and helping "shape the overall creative vision for the program." He worked on iconic franchises like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake and cofounded a number of game companies, including id Software, Gazillion Entertainment, and Loot Drop. "We are very excited to have two highly accomplished veterans of the game industry coming on board to direct our new professional degree program," said professor and chair of the Computer Science Department Jim Whitehead. "They have been involved in the development of a huge number of games and game studios, and they have created some of the most influential games, both in mainstream culture and in the art world." Brenda Romero previously served as the chair of the Savannah College of Art and Design's Interactive Design and Game Development department, while John Romero assisted in establishing the Digital Games Guildhall program at Southern Methodist University. UCSC's master's in games and playable media is a 12-month degree focused on "combining technical and design innovation." During the course, students will work in teams to create games that are critiqued and mentored by John Romero. "In creating games, I look for innovative ways to explore spaces and game mechanics, doing things other games have not done," John Romero said. "In working with UCSC, my goal is to push students toward innovation while working on my own new indie projects alongside them." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | GameFly launches new PC download website Sep 17th 2013, 15:31 Ahead of holiday shopping season, rental company officially launches new PC digital website; free copy of Mafia II available with purchase of any 2K game. 
Rental company GameFly has launched a new PC digital website ahead of what the company believes will be a "strong holiday" for games. The new online portal features more than 2,500 PC and Mac games, with new titles added every week. The website also includes new navigation and discoverability features. To mark the launch of the new GameFly download site, the company has partnered with 2K Games to give away copies of Mafia II. To receive a free copy of the 2010 action game, users must purchase any 2K game from the site. Various 2K titles are on sale this week, including BioShock: Infinite ($13.59) and Spec Ops: The Line ($7.49). Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | MLG Championship Columbus to feature $50,000 Dota 2 tournament, TI3 Champions Sep 17th 2013, 14:49 Alliance will be joined by Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, the winner of the MLG Fall Invitational, a winner of a North American Online Qualifier, and one spot to be determined. 
Major League Gaming has revealed the Dota 2 teams that will be attending the previously announced MLG Championship Columbus, featuring $50,000 and including The International 3 Champions Alliance. Alliance will be joined by Na'Vi, Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, Team Liquid, the winner of the MLG Fall Invitational, a winner of a North American Online Qualifier, and one spot to be determined. The event takes place November 22-24 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. "Featuring Dota has been a goal for years and we are so excited that it's finally happening," MLG Executive Vice President Adam Apicella told GameSpot. "Valve has done such an incredible job creating Dota 2 and fostering the community with events like the International, we knew we had to introduce the game to the MLG community in a way that complimented their efforts. We worked closely with Valve, monitored the exceptional gameplay by teams around the globe and conducted a ton of research to build our Fall league structure." "Most important to us is having an ongoing open dialogue with the players, managers, and community to ensure we are delivering the best experience possible. It is truly a pleasure to showcase the game in our NA League, at the upcoming Fall Invitational on October 18, and now at the MLG Championship in Columbus and we look forward to continuing to build the North American Scene at future events and on MLG Play." For MLG's first time running Dota 2 at a championship event, the organization has decided to limit the tournament to eight teams including invites. Apicella says MLG sent invites based off of prior results, and thoughts from analysts within the community. "With so much incredible talent, it was challenging to narrow down the list," he said. "We looked at the recent performances, consulted with Dota 2 experts and our partners at Valve, and ultimately decided on this starting list of teams. We wanted to ensure opportunities for up and coming teams to participate in online qualifiers and to incorporate our NA League play and Fall Invitational. We are working on some other surprises as well." "Unfortunately, due to the busy competition schedule around the globe this fall, we are unable to hold an EU qualifier that doesn't conflict with other events. That being said, we will plan to hold qualifiers for European teams in the future." Although faltering at this year's International, the Chinese community is still the mainland for many within the Dota community. Although Chinese Dota teams never venture outside of the country except for the International, Apicella says it's not completely out of the question for Columbus. "We are definitely looking at Chinese teams and will provide an update as soon as we are able," he said. Prior to this announcement, team owners and MLG have had meetings between themselves for accommodations of all parties involved. While specifics have not been made public, topics that have been raised previously by the owners have included team logo and sponsor exposure within overlays, viewership metrics, and travel support to the event. "As part of their planning process for this event, MLG was very accommodating to teams' and players' needs, and we applaud them for that," said Evil Geniuses CEO Alex Garfield. "We were able to have an open discussion with MLG (one which is still ongoing), and we're collectively all looking forward to the Columbus event. We hope that other major tournament organizers around the world will also begin to take this kind of open, collaborative approach to event planning." Apicella sees only good things to come from this. "As we are just getting started in the Dota scene, it was very important to us that we had transparency with not only the community, but with teams and players as well. We worked closely with team owners to ensure they are comfortable and excited to have their teams compete at the Championship discussing every detail related to the tournament and their experience with MLG.’ Leading up to the Championship in Columbus, MLG is running the North American Dota 2 League matches through September 30 to determine which four teams advance to the MLG Fall Invitational. The winner of the Invitational will go to Columbus. Matches air at 7 p.m. EST on Mondays and Wednesdays, and at 4 p.m. EST on Sundays and are commentated by the Beyond the Summit team. Previously MLG announced that StarCraft 2 would not be present at the event. League of Legends, having made an appearance at all of the MLG 2013 events thus far, will also not be appearing in Columbus. Dota 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are the only two games confirmed thus far. General admission passes for MLG Columbus are on sale Online for $35, and VIP for $250 which includes priority seating, early admission, and a MLG hoodie. Both can be purchased at MLG's store. GameSpot eSports will be at the event providing live coverage all weekend long. [ Watch Video ] Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Rockstar outlines user upload policy on GTAV launch day Sep 17th 2013, 14:23 Parent company Take-Two says it is "happy for fans" to upload gameplay footage, but says videos with spoilers and in-game entertainment will be flagged for removal. 
Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has laid out its policy concerning copyright material as Grand Theft Auto V launches today. In a post on the Rockstar Games Support page, the company said Take-Two Interactive is "happy for fans" to upload gameplay footage, but outlined out a few guidelines that gamers should adhere to unless they want to receive a takedown notice. The first relates to spoilers. Videos showing the end of the game, pure cutscenes, or any other "big reveal" from the story" will be flagged for removal. Take-Two said it is OK to show cutscenes as part of a larger playthrough, but isolated cinematics will be removed. In addition, videos featuring in-game entertainment like TV shows or other performances will be removed. "We prefer fans to experience these in the context of the game's world," Take-Two said. Overall, Take-Two said it has the right to remove any content it finds "objectionable" on a case-by-case basis and also to change its policy whenever it wishes. Questions about this policy can be directed at Take-Two via copyright@take2games.com. GTAV launched today for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Rockstar Games has released two iOS apps for the game: iFruit and GTAV: The Manual. For more, check out GameSpot's review. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Square Enix reopens digital purchases of Final Fantasy XIV Sep 17th 2013, 13:59 Over-encumbered MMO reopens its doors to digital purchases. 
Following a prolonged period of overloaded server issues that left the game unplayable for many, Square Enix has resumed (via Joystiq) selling digital copies of relaunched MMO Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn. Square Enix stopped selling digital versions of the game shortly after launch, offering seven days of free play time to those affected. Sony fully refunded players who purchased the game digitally on the PlayStation Store. Game director Naoki Yoshida explained the game's server woes earlier this month. "The night following the announcement of our plans to temporarily limit sales of the download version," he said at the time, "A Realm Reborn recorded upwards of 218,000 concurrent connections. This is in spite of the fact that the peak login times for separate regions around the world arrive at differing intervals. We estimate that without time zone differences, the total number of concurrent connections would number anywhere from 300,000 to 350,000." Reopening digital purchases suggests that Square Enix is having some success managing the game's servers. Square Enix has said that customers who purchase the game will be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 4 version for free when it launches in 2014. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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