Monthly Archives: May 2014

NeuroGaming Conference & Expo Announces Live Stream via Twitch.TV

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The Neurotechnology Industry Organization (NIO), a leading neuroscience trade association, announced today it will be broadcasting the main conference live \ on Twitch.tv. Provided in conjunction with video partner The AV Society, the video stream will start today at 10:00 AM PT with opening remarks and the keynote by Xbox co-creator Ed Fries. It can be viewed at either http://www.twitch.tv/neurogamingcon or on the main or on www.NeuroGamingConf.com.

The NeuroGaming Conference focuses on the convergence of mind and body with game play; using virtual reality, neurosensing, motion and gesture control, augmented reality, haptics, eye tracking, facial recognition and more cutting edge sensor technologies.

“The interest and excitement around neurogaming and this year’s event has significantly grown just within the last year. Our first-ever NeuroGaming Hackathon was a big success, with 20 project teams competing over the weekend,” said NeuroGaming organizer, Zack Lynch. At more than 500 pre-registered attendees, the conference has doubled in size year-over-year. We’ve added the video stream to open up the discussion to an even bigger audience.”

The two-day event brings together 40 exhibitors and nearly 50 executives speaking across twelve panels to share best practices, showcase new products and ideas, inspire each other and build new networks to help accelerate this rapidly emerging gaming sector.

For more info, visit https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventId=1265516

Krosmaster Arena: Coming soon to web browsers and mobile devices

Krosmaster

Leading online developer and publisher Ankama announced today that its strategy game Krosmaster Arena will soon be available in a fully animated 3D version for web browsers but also for the first time on mobile devices. The game will offer an enhanced experience and more features.

Launched in December 2012, the online version of Krosmaster Arena, the boardgame and the figurines have gathered a regular fan base. With more than 3 million physical products sold in nearly 2 years, more than 3000 tournaments this year and an adaptation in 6 different languages, Krosmaster Arena is one of the fastest growing brands among PvP strategy games. The boardgame has been classified as one of the TOP 10 Tabletop Games of 2013 by Game Informer.

As in the current version of Krosmaster Arena, players of the web browser and mobile version version will have the possibility to integrate the Krosmaster figures they have bought in blind or window boxes into their deck. The new season of figures will be soon available in stores in Europe and in North America.

“The first version of Krosmaster Arena was launched in order to offer players a way to train and play online with some friends” says Olivier Comte, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Ankama. “Following the success of the brand, we want to give players the game that they deserve by updating the graphics, adding new features, bringing it on news devices but keeping the same gameplay that makes Krosmaster Arena attractive to strategy fans”.

The launch of Krosmaster Arena in 3D for web browsers and mobile devices is scheduled for early 2015. For more info, visit www.ankama-group.com

Infinite Crisis: Sinestro to be released on May 21st

Infinite Crisis

Get an early look at Sinestro in the latest Champion Profile video from Infinite Crisis, the free-to-play MOBA from Turbine based in the DC Universe. On Wednesday, May 21, players can instill fear in their enemies and silence even the most formidable foes, when Sinestro officially goes live in-game!

In search of perfect order and vengeance upon his enemies, Sinestro’s power is fueled by fear. As a Blaster, Sinestro eliminates his enemies by spreading silence and fear to cull the weak.

A former mentor to Hal Jordan, he was once a renowned Green Lantern, praised by many. But when Jordan exposed Sinestro’s use of oppression and fear to “create order,” everything changed. Sinestro was put on trial and banished to the antimatter universe, where he found a new kind of power ring that channeled not Willpower, but Fear. In time, Sinestro would even come to control Parallax, the living embodiment of all fear.

For more info, visit http://www.infinitecrisis.com/en

Gravity Interactive releases “Ragnarok Online: Ash Vacuum” for mobile devices

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WarpPortal, known for publishing the online and mobile titles for the Ragnarok Online Franchise, has launched another chapter in the Ragnarok universe with an empire building strategy game. Launching May 6th for Android, and coming soon after for iOS devices!

In Ragnarok Online: Ash Vacuum influence is everything! Construct alliances with other nations to ready your guild for battle in this Empire Building Strategy Game. Gather resources, and recruit members with unique skill builds & special abilities to train your hired mercenaries! Will your alliance be the one to take down Satan Morocc in the Dimensional Gorge?!

For more info, visit http://www.warpportal.com/mobile/ashvacuum/index.html

Age of Wushu – Tempest of Strife Expansion Preview

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF)

 

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Logo copy

The latest expansion for Age of Wushu, Tempest of Strife, launches today. With this new expansion comes a plethora of changes and new features to add to the already extensive gameplay options in Age of Wushu. With six new factions available for players to join in, a new weather system, and a bunch of new content, this update will surely change the face of the game. It has been referred to as Age of Wushu 2.0 for a reason. On top of the new expansion, a new server is being made available starting on the same day.

 

 

What’s New

There are three major features being added with Tempest of Strife. First is the factions being added to the game. These factions are similar to the original eight schools, in that players can join them and gain access to unique techniques and abilities. Unlike the schools, these factions have various requirements that must be met before you can join them. For example, one sect requires that you be a castrated male to join their ranks. While another requires that you are a single, female lunatic. These factions will add a new and interesting twist to the game.

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Golden Needle

The second major feature is the new weather system. This system will improve the weather effects in the game to make them more pleasing to the eye. It will also make the weather more dynamic and interesting. For example, the Northern deserts are more prone to dust storms, while the areas closer to water will suffer from storms and fog. Along with the weather comes a new day/night cycle and solar eclipse. Normally, a new weather system wouldn’t be much to gush over (even though it’s nice), but this time it’s worth mentioning due to the inclusion of dynamic events that are based on location and weather.

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Weather

The third feature is the dynamic events I mentioned. These events will be triggered when certain weather patterns or astronomical events occur, such as thick fog in Luoyang or a sand tornado in the Northern Deserts. An eclipse could also trigger an event. These events will be massive in scale and will require the participation of 50+ players to even have a chance at success. While killing mobs in these events, you will loot special tokens which can be turned in for reward boxes. Needless to say, this new system will add a whole new layer to the game.

 

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Storm

Worth Mentioning

Other features that are worth mentioning are the face-lifting surgery and equipment inscription. The face-lifting surgery will allow those who aren’t happy with their current appearance to make alterations. Apparently only a special doctor is capable of doing this, so you will need to search for him. Equipment inscription will allow you to personalize your gear with unique names. The face-altering will be welcome by a huge portion of the community (such as myself, as I made my character insanely ugly…) and more customization never hurt anyone!

 

 

 

Quitting School

Another important feature being added to the game with this expansion is the ability to leave your school. Now, there’s two ways you can do this. You can either graduate from your school by meeting certain requirements and completing certain tasks, or you could simply betray your school. You may even find a way to hide your identity for a period of time, instead of leaving your school. Or, if you’re a new character, you could simply forgo choosing a school and wander the Jianghu as a vagrant, learning whatever bits and pieces of martial arts you can get your hands on. One things for sure, these new options will change the face of the game, especially when it comes to the school conflicts.

 

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Vagrant

A Deeper Look at the Dynamic Events

I was lucky enough to participate on a press tour where we were shown several of these weather-triggered events. The one that caught my eye the most was the thick fog in Luoyang event. In the event, a disgruntled noble wishes to back-stab the emperor by stealing from the treasury and fleeing the city. When the event was triggered, a pop-up asking if you wanted to participate appeared. From there you were transported into a separate instance of the city with anyone else who wanted to participate. I was told that there was no cap to participants in these events, but most would require at least fifty people to complete.

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Fog

In the Luoyang event, you have to fight through hordes of extremely difficult enemies. At one point, you were required to make use of cannons to kill archers who could deal massive amounts of damage (basically one-shot anyone). In Suzhou, there is an eclipse-triggered event where one of the objectives is to create medicine by playing a mini-game to heal wounded civilians. These two examples show that you don’t have to be a high level and jump into the thick of battle to participate or be rewarded from these events. There’s something for everyone to do, weather you’re tanking the archers the best you can, escorting citizens to safety, or even following around massive sand tornadoes to collect uncovered treasures.

 

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Eclipse

The Factions Explained

The new factions are split into three “Emerging Sects” and three “Hidden Forces.” The emerging sects are the “ferocious” Villa of Beasts, which will have an affinity with all things wild and will have the possibility to bond with deadly animals. There is also the “vigilant” Xu Family Manor, who use their unique martial arts to fight evil and crime. Last of the emerging sects are the Golden Needle Sect, who use acupuncture to heal themselves and others. It may be useful to know that it is possible to re-apply your “lost member” (if you’ve chosen to become a eunuch) via a miracle that can be done by the Golden Needle sect.

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Peach Blossom

The hidden forces are the Palace of Shifting Flowers, which is a female sect that will only accept you if you’re single. There’s also the Peach Blossom Island (A favorite for those that are fans of the Wuxia/Jianghu fiction), which acts a retreat for talented hermetic musicians and martial arts experts. Last of the hidden forces is the Rootless Clan, who will only accept the those who have been castrated and put wealth and power before all else.

 

Age of Wushu Tempest Strife Rootless

Conclusion

It seems to me that Tempest of Strife definitely deserves the title of “Age of Wushu 2.0,” given by the Game Director, Hao Han. With its revamped graphics, new weather system, six new factions to become a part of, and more to come. This update seems so promising that I’ve considered returning to the game to take part in all the new content. Weather I will choose to return to my old character or start a new vagrant on the all-new server, Silver Viper, being released with Tempest of Strife, has yet to be decided. For those of you that have left the game in the past, now may be the time to make your return.

Empire: Four Kingdoms

Empire: Four Kingdoms is a mobile strategy experience from the makers of Goodgame Empire.

Features:

Dozens of Units: Over 50 different weapons and units await your use in battle.

Never Alone: Join in part of a massive community, find friends in Alliances, or just hang out with a few close friends.

Four Kingdoms: Four massive kingdoms await with challenges that will have you playing for hours.