Missed UCSD’s SoftWhere 2008 conference and curious what went on? Well, video of the public portion of the conference is now popping up on the SoftWhere 2008 page in QuickTime and YouTube. A lot of big names (like Ian Bogost, above) had some very interesting presentations on a variety of topics — even my Japanese historiography professor showed up and had a lot to say about history, time, and software. It was a pretty diverse group, and owing to the zippy format, you can get a good feel for a lot of the research and ideas without spending half an hour or more listening to one presentation. Confining academics to such a short period of time? Sheer brilliance.
SoftWhere 2008 videos [Grand Text Auto]
Internode Games Network reports that Blizzard brass hat Rob Pardo (tell us what we’ve won!) in his Worldwide Invitational presentation, has slammed the door on rumours Starcraft II drops December 3. Saith Internode: Speaking about the game’s development, he explained that they were “about a third of the way through” the campaign, and were concentrating on story structure and cinematics at this point – commenting that by the end of the year, Blizzard should have something very impressive to show off.
That said, Mac gamers can expect a simultaneous release of this title, too — whenever it arrives.
StarCraft II — Not Happening in 2008 [Internode Games Network]
It’s a Saturday, I’m jetlagged, and the internet seems to be blazing with news of nothing but Diablo III; perfect time for a light and cute flash timewaster. This one is called Bowja the Ninja 2, a point and click puzzler that’s nicely illustrated and oh-so-cute. Not terribly challenging, but a good thing to spend a bit with on a lazy Saturday.
Bowja the Ninja 2: In Bigman’s Compound [Pencilkids via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
by Lesley Smith
Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Morhaime formally announced Diablo III during the WWI’s opening ceremony this morning, not that this will come as a surprise to anyone with the Diablo III forums already active on the official Blizzard site and rumours running rampant for nearly a fortnight.
After recapping on the success of the previous Invitational held in Korea, Morhaime premiered a trailer and then demoed a level playing as a Barbarian and a Witch Doctor, showcasing some of the improvements over the original game as well as giving attendees a hint at what they can expect from the final product. This includes a new UI in place of the potion belt and the ability to play the game just by using a mouse. Similarly the health system has been augmented by God of War and Devil May Cry style red globes which replenish not just the health of the character but also those near by.
So faithful reader TheGameCritic was at the WizardWorld Chicago, which he describes as a “comic/pop culture convention of sorts.” He saw Boba Fett walking around, he saw some kids playing Guitar Hero, he got an idea and he made it happen.
Worlds In Motion sat down to talk about IMVU with CEO and president Cary Rosenzweig; I think we’re seeing the second coming of Second Life if the New York Times picks up on this. The interview itself is interesting, with a lot of attention paid to the creative/economic aspects of item transactions and so forth. On how it all works (and how it’s working out in IMVU):
Over on Valve’s official TF2 blog are the fronts and backs to two trading cards built for promotional uses but never used. Valve promises more updates as time goes on, so all you get now are Engineer and Demoman. They’re filled with fun facts. Engie’s bio says he has “11 hard science PhDs”. Jesus. I can only think of, like, four off the top of my head. And Demoman lost his parents thanks to “a terrible plan to kill the Loch Ness Monster”.
Doesn’t Scout carry a bat? Seems he’d be obvious for the first batch. Hi res cards after the jump, or you can go get ‘em from TeamFortress.com directly.
Described as an “eternal struggle between two sisters: Little Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood”, the new MMO Secondhand Lands has just been announced and is currently in closed beta. The game, developed by Austin-based Callipygian, will be distributed Pixel Mind and will utilise their microtransaction system:
Said Callipygian founder and Secondhand Lands lead, “We chose to work with Pixel Mine because they offered us the best value for our company and our players. As an independent developer it is very difficult to find a distribution deal that gives us a package with everything we need to manage accounts and handle payments. Also, we are excited to be working with another Austin company; this town is rich with talent and services tailored for game creation”.
Contrary to earlier plans, there will be no beta of Guild Wars 2 this year. That per an official FAQ from developer ArenaNet, which also helpfully states the game will be released “when it’s finished”, among other tidbits. Here’s the complete excuse explanation.
Although we publically alpha- and beta-tested the original Guild Wars while it was still in early development, with Guild Wars 2 we will commence beta testing closer to the game’s release. With that in mind, we will not start beta testing in 2008 as we had originally planned. Guild Wars 2 is a very large and ambitious game, and Guild Wars players rightfully have very high expectations of its quality. We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it.
Hear that, Guild Wars 2 fans? It’s all because of your rightful high expectations. Hope you’re happy.
Guild Wars 2 Frequently Asked Questions [Guildwars.com via Blue's News]
Hi there! Um, so, Rainbow Six Vegas 2′s nice. I mean, you know, like Diablo III’s totally hot and all but Rainbow Six’s Fan Pack has a super-great personality and is really kinda into you and maybe you could compliment it on its new maps? Cause like everyone here’s hitting on Diablo III and she’s not the only girl at the party. Just sayin’.
OK, so, Ubisoft about a couple days back sent out word on its forums about the DLC coming in the “early July” (not more specific, sorry) release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2′s Fan Pack. There will be several new gameplay details and three maps. It’s all free, and will all be available via Ubi’s site, Xbox Live Marketplace, or Playstation Network depending on your flavour of platform.
Re: the maps (from Ubi’s post). There are three maps included in the free DLC: Murdertown – Dark, CQB Training – Dark and best of all the much-requested fan favourite Calypso Casino! The three map layouts have not been changed. The re-lit “Dark maps” have a very eerie atmosphere, and may require players to use night vision to spot enemies. Calypso Casino returns with updated lighting and textures. The three maps are playable in all Versus modes and Terrorist Hunt.
As for gameplay, there are new ranks, new A.C.E.S., some rebalancing of weapon characteristics, multiplayer tweaks, and a handy-dandy frag indicator to help you not get your arse blown off. The entire announcement is quoted after the jump, plus the video (hosted at Gametrailers) referenced in the announcement.
