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Star Citizen just reached an impressive crowd-funding milestone of $9 million. We take a look at some of the ways its unique development process might be good for games and gamers, as well as some of the challenges Cloud Imperium Games faces.
Opinions
Thu, May 02, 2013
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Indie game developers are increasingly turning to crowd funding as a revenue source. Star Citizen leads the pack. What are the advantages, and potential pitfalls, of this rapidly growing trend?
Opinions
Tue, Apr 16, 2013
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If you're confused by the weapons and salvaging system in Defiance, you're in good company. We've sorted out some of the basic
principles of weapons and crafting to help get you on your way to hunting arkfall like a fully-kitted pro.
Crafting Guides, Guides
Wed, Apr 03, 2013
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Trion Worlds unleashed Defiance today. Getting started as an ark hunter can be a little daunting. Fortunately, our new player guide is here to smooth the learning curve.
Basics, Guides
Tue, Apr 02, 2013
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Are you all for the freedom or skill-based MMO gaming, or do you prefer the structure and consistency of levels? It all comes down to whether you're a gaming capitalist, a gaming socialist, or a little in between.
Opinions
Mon, Mar 18, 2013
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One of the defining characteristics of The Elder Scrolls RPG franchise has been its skill-based system, but Zenimax has put forth a hybrid, class-based formula for The Elder Scrolls Online. Will it work?
Opinions
Tue, Mar 05, 2013
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Josh Hackney, Senior Producer for PlanetSide 2, stepped away from the Ultimate Empire Showdown last week to talk with Ten Ton Hammer about SOE’s Major League Gaming partnership for PlanetSide 2, and how we can expect e-sports to impact the game.
Interviews
Wed, Jan 30, 2013
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We sat down with composer Jeff Broadbent to learn more about his work on PlanetSide 2's iconic score, and what it's like to write music for the gaming industry.
Interviews
Fri, Dec 14, 2012
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In the past decade or so, there’s no question that games have gotten easier. Is it because today’s kids view losing as unfair, rather than as a natural consequence of sucking?
Opinions
Thu, Dec 06, 2012
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PlanetSide 2 launched this week, and Ten Ton Hammer's resident PS2 expert has assembled a quick-start guide to get you on your way to kicking ass in no time.
Basics, Guides
Wed, Nov 21, 2012
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I don't disagree that Firefall won't be the game of the year like PS2 is likely to be, I think you guys are missing a pretty critical difference between Firefall and games like SWTOR. SWTOR took the WoW approach, which was to make a simple game that was intuitive enough for anyone to pick up and play. On top of that, Bioware is one of the kings of storytelling, so they did what they do best. Unfortunately, they ended up with a themepark MMO, just as Blizzard did, and that's where they failed. They assumed that pretty colors and an interesting story were all you need to make an MMO.
Firefall is doing something hardly any MMOs do anymore. It's going to give you ownership over the world, and give you a sense of global progression. SWTOR, the story was about you, but in FF, the story is about the WORLD, and that's the critical difference. With their staged-content approach in FF, the players will get a continuously emerging story of the world around them, while directly involving themselves in that progression.
Of course, I'm a huge PS fan, and I've been playing since alpha of the first one, but though our teeth are itching to bite into the new PS2 beta/release, I still think there are other games that deserve a serious look. Firefall and DUST are just a couple that have some really cool ideas in them that could really help move the genre to the next level. As good as it'll likely be, PS2 is really just the original, but updated with cool new toys. What's the next MMOFPS that creates it's own standard going to look like? The first PS was absolutely nothing like anything else out there at the time. We're due for another game like that, and I really wonder what it'll be, and which of these really cool new ideas will inspire it.
But then, I'm a geek and the mechanics wind me up as much as playing the games themselves. =)
I concur, but that's not really the point. The point is what does each game do to help re-define the genre. DUST won't be that competitive with PS2, probably. Neither will Firefall, really, but both will introduce some new ideas that could really change the forward progression of the genre.
What other FPS/MMO crossovers could we see now that DUST shows it's possible, and even worth looking into?
One of the interesting things about the gaming industry isn't just how fun the game is, but how innovative it is, and what it might signify for the future of gaming. That's when you really get into some cool stuff, I think. But then I'm biased. =)
Did you watch the steam this afternoon from E3? I think they'll be doing more of them. It was a great show, and there was plenty of Vanu coverage in it tonight.
It'll be a short life, Passion Fruit. =P
lol! Now, that is cool, but I can't see it working very well. Still neat that they'd try it.