The Trenches Launches August 13, 2011
Posted by Maniac in Uncategorized.add a comment
Back in the early days of the internet, there actually wasn’t a whole lot to discuss on it. Since the userbase at the time consisted of high end computer users, it turned out many of us shared common interests. Usually that revolved around love for science fiction and video games. In 1998, Scott Kurtz, an artist and writer, broke new ground and created the very first webcomic. His concept, tell the story of a Gaming Magazine and the people in it. And such, PvP was created, but also, so was a whole industry.
Not too long after that, two other guys, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik decided they wanted to create their own comic. One being a writer and the other being the artist, they decided to make their own comic strip and release it online as well. The difference being that this comic would be from the perspective of gamers themselves. As outsiders, they were completely free of any restrictions. They would cover any taboo of the day that the media wouldn’t touch, and for their risk their comic strip Penny-Arcade is still considered the most popular webcomic on the internet.
Well, the rest, as they say, is history. Now the popularity of comic strips posted online rival the long established ones in print media. New strips are posted daily from all over the world, being written and drawn by people of every culture and artistic background.
Now, it seems these three have banded together to create something entirely new. A webcomic, this time focusing on the little guy of the gaming industry, the game tester. So many comic strips will cover video gaming or gamers, but very few cover the actual development of games, and just what the kind of people who make them are like. (Barry Smith, I eagerly await for you to resume your posting schedule your InkTank strips). The Trenches, first announced last year, has finally started its run, with updates promised on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But more than that, they do plan to post up actual stories from anonymous testers, giving a peek into just what the workings of game development is. (I wonder if Michael “RomSteady” Russel is in the pipe?).
Its starting off pretty good, check it out!
RAGE Release Details August 13, 2011
Posted by Maniac in Game News.add a comment
In the aftermath of Quakecon 2011 some important information about RAGE has been released, particularly about the game’s release details.
The PC version of RAGE will use Steamworks. A lot of people think this is just used as a Digital Rights Management system, but in truth Steamworks offers the players a DRM that enhances functionality opposed to traditional DRM, which takes those rights away. Unlike DRM, Steamworks games by default do not have an installation limit. You will be able to install games on as many systems as you wish for as long as you want. Heck, you can lose your original CD/DVD AND your install key and still be able to install and play the game on any computer with an internet connection. Other Steamworks features that are possible for the game’s release but not confirmed for RAGE include cloud saves which can be shared across computers, in-game achievements, and a multiplayer browser.
New copies of RAGE will also come with unlock codes for sewer transit. Sewer transit is a feature of the game separate from the main plotline. Without a download code, you will not be able to use this functionality, and could possibly have to purchase it through your platform’s marketplace. This is in a similar vein to putting in arbitrary restrictions in copies of the game to prevent used sales. Most of the time they remove access to the multiplayer component of the game and charge extra for people who purchase used copies of the game to regain that access. They said they chose to remove sewer access because it was a feature most people didn’t use in testing, and didn’t take away from the main plotline. Still, this anti-used campaign in general has been a really bad idea across the board and I really wish publishers would stop doing this. If they want to promote buying new copies of games, the best option is to do what Remedy did with Alan Wake and offer free advance download codes for upcoming DLC bundled with all new copies of a game.
RAGE will release for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in October, 2011.
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