Colony of Gamers http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/ This is a discussion forum powered by vBulletin. To find out about vBulletin, go to http://www.vbulletin.com/ . en Thu, 17 May 2012 15:16:14 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/images/misc/rss.jpg Colony of Gamers http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/ First Screens From Unreal Engine 4 http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26579&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 14:44:53 GMT Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7215624548_2997741002_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/sets/72157629770455994/) Click...

Click to see the rest of the images

See that screenshot? Looks pretty cool, but it's doesn't seem very special. In this case looks can be deceiving. That screenshot is the future of gaming. It is the first screenshot from the Unreal Engine 4 demo reel. And if history is any indicator you'll be playing this engine a lot in the years to come. Here's a description of the demo shown to industry big wigs behind closed doors at GDC in March.
Quote:
Here’s what the Unreal guys are hoping will singe the eyeballs of executives, hardware engineers, and game developers when they see it at GDC: A heavily armored demon knight sits frozen to his throne in a ruined mountain fortress. As he awakens, lava begins to flow around him and flames engulf the world. A magma vent spews a column of smoke and smoldering embers. He stands, sending up showers of sparks that dance, fall out of focus, and fade into ash. The knight hefts a massive hammer that glows with an inner fire. As he stalks down an empty corridor, a deep rumble sounds and masonry falls from the ceiling—this is no mountain but a volcano on the verge of eruption. When the knight steps outside, we see a range of snow-capped peaks in the far-off distance, rendered in stunning clarity. Behind him the volcano belches black smoke, while burning embers mix with swirling snowflakes.

In previous engines, one floating ember was enough to slow performance considerably; a shower of them was impossible. With Unreal Engine 4, there can be millions of such particles, as long as the hardware is potent enough to sustain them. Game developers overuse features of every new engine, because they are suddenly so easy to implement. In the original Unreal Engine, for example, the ability to render colored lighting led to a rash of games that employed the effect. The same may prove true for UE4′s particle effects, for better or worse. (“Mark my words,” Bleszinski says, “those particles are going to be whored by developers.”)
From there the demo moved seamlessly to a first person perspective where senior technical artist Alan Willard began to actually play the short game. He then revealed that the demo was operating not from a compiled game file but from the UE4 editor using only a single video card - an Nvidia GTX 680. That's mighty impressive.

The most recent iteration of the Unreal Engine is the most widely used middleware platform in the industry, powering everything from Arkham City, Mass Effect and Mortal Kombat to arcade games like Shadow Complex and even iOS titles like Infinity Blade. If you're a gamer, any sort of gamer, then you've played a game built on UE3.

More than almost any single company, Epic is going to be shaping the next generation of console hardware. The success of Unreal Engine 3 makes it likely that UE4 will enjoy a similarly ubiquitous place in the next gen, so the console makers will take their input very seriously. At least, they will up to a point. Epic's braintrust seems to be channeling Tim Allen with chants of "More Power", an impulse Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have to be wary of following.

Epic has also revealed that a demo of Unreal Engine 4 will be shown off at E3 next month, so you'll be able to see for yourselves what the future will be running on.

Source - Wired ]]> Gaming News DoctorFinger http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26579 <![CDATA[Borderlands 2 CE & Pre-Order Bonuses Announced]]> http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26578&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 13:11:42 GMT Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7215199678_458a6157b3_z.jpg (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7215199678_dd8cc1410f_o.jpg) Click to...

Click to enlarge

So Borderlands 2 is getting a pair of special editions and a pre-order bonus. Not a shock to anyone, especially since I already did a story on this a month back. But this is the official announcement, and I feel like posting it again. It's a slow news week.

First and foremost is the Premiere Club, which is included with all pre-ordered copies of the game. The Premiere Club gets you the Gearbox Gun Pack (a collection of unique, early game weapons), a Golden Key (used to unlock a special chest later in the game), the Vault Hunter’s Relic (an artifact which boosts loot drop rates) and an all-new fifth character class - the Mechromancer, which will be made available post launch.

Next we have the $99 Deluxe Vault Hunter CE. It includes:
  • Borderlands 2 Game
  • Authentic Marcus Kincaid Bobblehead
  • 4 Exclusive Stickers
  • Map of Pandora
  • Comic Book Download
  • Inside the Vault: The Art of Borderlands 2 Hardbound Book
  • Bonus Digital Content

What you see pictured above is the $149 Ultimate Vault Hunter CE, which gives you everything in the Deluxe CE plus
  • Replica Borderlands Loot Chest
  • Numbered Certificate of Authenticity
  • Steelbook Case
  • Creatures of Pandora Wide Format ID Chart
  • 4 Lithograph Postcards
  • Field Notes from Sir Hammerlock
Borderlands 2 will be released on September 18 for the 360, PS3 and PC. ]]> Gaming News DoctorFinger http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26578 Next Generation of Gaming http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26577&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 10:59:15 GMT I was going to title this thread Next Generation of Consoles, but really, that would exclude the PC, which is largely and sadly led by consoles, so... I was going to title this thread Next Generation of Consoles, but really, that would exclude the PC, which is largely and sadly led by consoles, so we wouldn't want to exclude that platform.

Anyway, this thread is about what YOU want from the next generation of gaming.

What I want, what I really want, is fully destructable environments. I'm tired of shooting rocketlaunchers at walls and having nothing more than a large sprite/decal painted on the wall. I want game companies to finally start thinking past static environments. Because I'm fucking tired of static environments. Modern Warfare being the poster child of static environments and static gameplay experiences.

Just think of all of the diverse gameplay that could unlocked, with just something as simple as being able to blow up doors instead of searching for some shitty key for the umpteenth time; developers will finally have to start thinking about gameplay from a completely new frame of reference.

What prompted me to create this thread really was this video:



I want that combined with this:



Which they did... here:



All of that combined with some smarter fucking AI will probably be when I will consider us in the "Next Generation" of gaming. Unfortunately, I don't think that the new consoles that are due out this and next year will be able to have most of this stuff beyond higher resolution textures and fancier shaders, I would love to be pleasantly surprised, but my hopes aren't high.

Some more new graphics features of Unreal Engine can be seen here:


So, what DO YOU want from the next generation of gaming? ]]> General Gaming AntonThaGreat http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26577 The Awesome Short Films Thread http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26576&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 06:55:08 GMT I think we need a Short Films thread where we posts shorts and discuss them and I want to kick it off with an oldie but goodie series by *Philips*... I think we need a Short Films thread where we posts shorts and discuss them and I want to kick it off with an oldie but goodie series by Philips called "Parallel Lines".

I'll start it with my favorite one:

Darkroom


The Gift (With Half-Life inspired baddies!)


PORCELAIN UNICORN


The Hunt


Jun and the Hidden Skies


Le Secret de Matéo



Shorts* make it into other threads here and there, but I think having them all in one place would be splendid! :cool:

And here's one more, it's more of a trailer to "The Goon" originally a graphic novel written by David Powell and something that David Fincher has been trying to get made for ages! (Kickstarter has been suggested, I hope they go with it.)

The Goon


Note: Please quote this original post and use my formatting to post videos, it' looks nice and will be more pleasing for viewers! :)
]]> Screen, Page and Song AntonThaGreat http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26576 Religion and Marriage Equality http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26575&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 23:26:29 GMT There is a false premise among some religious people that their religions forces them to oppose marriage equality. The reality is that I know many... There is a false premise among some religious people that their religions forces them to oppose marriage equality.

The reality is that I know many Christians who support marriage equality. Their are two types of reasoning for this opinion:

1. They don't think homosexuality is sinful. The part of the Bible that says that homosexuality is wrong is in Leviticus - an Old Testament part of the Bible with many really strange rules that Christians no longer practice like: how to beat their slaves in a godly fashion, how a husband may legally beat his wife, or how mixing two types of fabric is sinful.

2. For those who do think homosexual sex is sinful, they believe in the separation of church and state. As long as a sin doesn't hurt others, they believe that sin should be a matter between God and his children.

I also know a few people who practice other religions who support marriage equality, but I can't speak to their reasons as I am not of their faith and have not discussed it with them. ]]> bean http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26575 Getting shot (in Max Payne 3) http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26574&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 22:03:16 GMT I dig 3rd person shooters. I enjoy playing the role of the bad ass gunslinger who takes on hordes of enemies alone and comes out on top cause he is... I dig 3rd person shooters. I enjoy playing the role of the bad ass gunslinger who takes on hordes of enemies alone and comes out on top cause he is just that good. Dual pistols is always my favorite weapon option, no matter the game or genre (Big shout out Bastion!).
Obviously playing the role of a bad ass kill machine who, with minimal effort, murders hundreds of dudes using only guns and grit requires some suspension of disbelief. Especially when you are not a space marine with future tech armor that heals you, or are not spiritually fused with a Darkness demon that allows you to eat human hearts. When you are just a guy, with two guns and two balls, against an onslaught of other guys with similar and often superior load outs, it is sometimes hard to believe that your protagonist was able to emerge from the chaos victorious.
But Screw it! It's a game! He's a total bad ass! Just go with it.
That's my attitude. The only thing that pulls me out of it is the amount of damage the protagonist can take and recover from. Nothing kills my immersion in a game faster than my protagonist being shot with numerous bullets and recovering fully without any real justification (They cut the scene that explains John Marston was an early weapon X mutant). It is not a big deal, it just irks me.
I don't have a solution. A game that behaved realistically in this regard might be too brutal to play.
Max Payne games have at least some minor attempt at justification with Max downing pain killers to get through the pain, but Max was still clearly shot with bullets. One segment of MP3 begins with Max getting shot in the arm (spoiler?). It is a part of the story and when it happens it is semi-serious. He has been shot, and needs medical attention. But then throughout the rest of the game when you are in control, Max gets shot repeatedly and just pops some pills and everything is cool.
So far I have been able to successfully complete levels without getting shot. That is to say, when I get shot, I load the last checkpoint.
It is a fun/cool game and I dig it. Just venting a frustration I have. ]]> General Gaming Caped Crusader http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26574 <![CDATA[[Feature] Dreadline Interview]]> http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26572&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 14:54:29 GMT On Monday we showed you the debut trailer for Eerie Canal Games' Dreadline. Today we have a quick interview with Bryn Bennett, co-founder and executive producer over at Eerie Canal, about the game.


Colony of Gamers: Give me a quick thumbnail of what a mission in Dreadlands will entail?

Bryn Bennett: All missions will take place during a calamity, both historic and imagined. (Like, maybe there are a bunch of zombies in a mall, but the monsters want to kill the humans first.) Generally the players will control monsters as they rampage through the level, trying to kill as many humans as possible before the catastrophe hits.

Sub missions might also be possible, like freeing another monster or saving a few people that weren't going to die.

CoG: How many monsters will be on the squad for each mission? And how many total characters will be playable?

BB: Four monsters will be available on the squad. We messed around with this number a bit, and 4 seemed to be the sweet spot.

Total characters are yet to be decided... mainly because we keep having more ideas! Additional monsters may also be DLC if we decide to go that route.

CoG: What sort of character progression will there be? How unique will I be able to make my character?

BB: We're working on this right now. It definitely won't be a deep RPG to the level of Diablo or anything. I mean, I really don't want my mummy to have a +7 vorpal sword of truth. I just want him to rip people apart with is sweet mummy hands.

CoG: The trailer seemed to straddle the line between humor and horror. What sort of content level are you aiming for?

BB: It's a tough line. You play a group of monsters who are doing terrible things, but we also want the players to be able to relate to them. There will definitely be a lot of dark humor in this game. If not, it's kind of psychopathic!

CoG: Will the 'Cuberick' have an Elevator of Blood power? Maybe an "It's full of stars!" power?

BB YES! ]]> Gaming News DoctorFinger http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26572 Smite Closed Beta Begins May 31 http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26571&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 14:39:42 GMT lJk0idhG-qI Hi Rez Studios have announced that the closed beta for *Smite*, their action MOBA title, will begin on May 31. I know, I know. ...

Hi Rez Studios have announced that the closed beta for Smite, their action MOBA title, will begin on May 31. I know, I know. Another MOBA/DOTA type game. But this one may be different. Firstly, it's being developed by Hi Rez Studios, creators of - for me - the game of the year to date, Tribes Ascend. Smite is a different sort of game, but playing Tribes I know that Hi Rez can run a F2P game without making it pay to win (P2W).

Smite is an action-oriented variant on the genre, played from a third person perspective with gods from various ancient pantheons occupying the hero roles. You can apply for the beta at the official site. They're also offering an early access starter pack, which gets you into the closed beta and gives you 10 additional gods right off the bat. ]]> Gaming News DoctorFinger http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26571 Handbrake http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26570&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 07:25:43 GMT Has anyone played around with this one? I'm putting a bunch of my DVDs on my computer with the idea of using it as (or later building) a media server. I'm wondering if anyone has settings that they use to get a good quality conversion of MKV down to MP4 without a murderous file size. I was able to get it down to ~500 MB for a 45-minute episode (not a great size, but good enough for me), and now I can't figure for the life of me how: I keep getting files that are double the size. Obviously, the file properties show a much lower bit rate, but I dunno how I did that. Any advice? ]]> Doogie2K http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26570 Things Remain Ugly At THQ http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26568&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 23:26:58 GMT

Alternate headline "THQ: We're Still Boned, But Not As Boned"

Ok, that may be a bit harsh, but things are not going well for THQ. The company announced a net loss of $240M for the recently ended fiscal year, an increase of $100M over the previous year. That sounds really bad, but many of the red numbers are one time losses - such as the demise of the UDraw, the closure of Kaos Studios and the termination of several kid-centric licenses - which likely won't be on the books for the next FY. But THQ also announced that they're looking to sell the rights to Devil's Third, the debut title from Tomonobu Itagaki's Valhalla Game Studios. Devil's Third had reportedly been set for an early 2013 launch, but all plans are likely on hold until it's publisher situation has been settled. THQ also announced that the South Park game had also slipped to 2013.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Darksiders II has a new release date of August 14, and pre-orders are five times what they were at this point for the original Darksiders. Early pre-orders for the September releasing standalone Saints' Row: Enter the Dominatrix expansion are also strong. A slight rebranding of the WWE titles also saw a bump in sales.

In addition to those franchises, THQ seems to be banking strongly on the next generation of consoles. CEO Brian Farrell says that having multiple launch or early cycle games is a "key part of our strategy". It seems likely that at least some of THQ's announced future titles - such as Guillermo Del Toro's InSane, Crytek's Homefront 2 and the unnamed project from former Assassins' Creed head Patrice Desilets - may be shifted to the next gen.

In short things are bad at THQ, but they're still operating.

Sources - THQ; Joystiq; Game Informer; Shacknews ]]> Gaming News DoctorFinger http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26568 Amalur Dev 38 Studios in Financial Trouble? http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26567&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 13:10:16 GMT Image: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6187/6049418749_f2b63b1a07_z.jpg The financial situation at *Kingdoms of Amalur* developer 38 Studios is so...

The financial situation at Kingdoms of Amalur developer 38 Studios is so troubling that the governor of Rhode Island is meeting with company officials to try and hash out a way to keep the Providence-based studio solvent. The exact details of 38's troubles are still unknown, but the situation is bad enough that governor Lincoln Chafee is intervening publicly on their behalf.

Quote:
“We’re concerned and just doing everything possible to ensure that 38 Studios stays part of the Rhode Island community,” Governor Chafee told WPRI.com on Monday night. “We’re working on different issues with them.” Asked whether he thinks 38 Studios can be stabilized, Chafee paused and said: “We’re working on it.”
While Chafee is trying to keep a company that employs upwards of 300 people in Rhode Island afloat, the real bone of contention here is a $75M loan guarantee given to 38 by the previous administration. The loan guarantee lured 38 Studios to Providence from Maynard in Massachusetts and was not terribly popular amongst the electorate at the time, with governor Chafee arguing against it in his successful gubernatorial campaign. Chafee and the state house want to make sure that loan is repaid, and a bankruptcy now would likely mean the state taking a massive loss on the loan.

Kingdoms of Amalur sold fairly well after it's February release, but the loan was not for Kingdoms. The loan, and most of 38 Studio's efforts, are on Project Copernicus, the MMO they were founded to develop. The game currently codenamed Copernicus is the pet project of studio founder Curt Schilling, and boasts the creative talents of fantasy novelist RA Salvatore and comic artist Todd McFarland. The studio had said they hoped to release Copernicus later this year, but an announcement that the studio would not be exhibiting at E3 makes that release unlikely. Missing E3 seems to have prompted the current worry over 38's finances, but it's not the first time these questions have been raised.

WPRI reports that accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers issued an audit last June which expressed "substantial doubts" about the studio's continued solvency. So far 38 Studios has not commented on the story.

Sources Providence Journal; WPRI; Joystiq ]]> Gaming News DoctorFinger http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26567 Diablo 3 was Bullshit http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26566&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 08:13:55 GMT This was a simple rant post about the fact that I couldn't login last night and thus couldn't even play single player. It's now a general everyone rant about any interruption in service of Diablo 3 thread.

Enjoy. ]]> General Gaming bean http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26566 How many people... http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26565&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 07:28:42 GMT are compulsively mashing their passwords into the Diablo 3 client right now? Clicking the same keys over and over and over? And how much different... are compulsively mashing their passwords into the Diablo 3 client right now? Clicking the same keys over and over and over? And how much different will that be from the game we're so desperately trying to play? ]]> PC Gaming Sanctuary Bandango http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26565 MotoGP/SBK Thread http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26564&goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 23:05:51 GMT Anyone else here follow motorcycle racing, specifically superbike and MotoGP?

I've watched MotoGP for years as well as World Superbike. I generally don't follow AMA racing even though it's obviously in my home country. One of the big reasons is the horrible coverage in the States that tries to turn everything into NASCAR.

The British Eurosport coverage of MotoGP and WSBK is excellent however, and very enjoyable. The WSBK races at Donington this last weekend were absolutely epic, some of the best racing I've seen in years, and the announcers were just going insane.

Even though I really enjoy the concept and amazing performance of the MotoGP bikes, the racing is just not as fun to watch in most cases. There are much fewer competitive riders (and fewer bikes overall) and they don't hang it out as much as the guys that aren't running million dollar bikes. I'm glad MotoGP is there to provide a testing ground for the bleeding edge of motorcycle performance, but watching a huge melee of closely matched riders on streetbikes is tough to beat entertainment-wise. ]]> All Things Sports Vandabo http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26564 Tomb Raider Bumped to 2013 http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26563&goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 19:59:16 GMT Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7215/7198290102_463815f59b_z.jpg Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics announced today that the new...

Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics announced today that the new Tomb Raider title won't make it's announced fall release. Instead they're now aiming at an early 2013 launch. Tomb Raider was supposed to return the series to its roots with a slight reimagining of Lara Croft's early days. She's marooned on an island after a shipwreck and forced to fight to survive.

The reboot/revamp was announced a year and a half back, but little has been released about it since this past E3. Square Enix demoed the new game at the show to fairly mediocre response. Since then it's been radio silence on the part of both the publisher and developer in regards to Lara Croft's next outing.

Sources - Eidos Games; Joystiq, ]]> Gaming News DoctorFinger http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=26563