Riot used ‘League of Legends’ chat logs to spot bad staff
Sadly, bad language and a general lack of respect is an expected and, now, almost accepted part of playing video games online. It’s a problem that permeates not just the community around each game, but also the people that are working on them. Riot Games, developer of the MOBA juggernaut League of Legends, has looked at employees’ chat logs and found a surprising correlation between their behavior in and out of the game. So if someone has been a jerk or generally difficult in the game, there’s a reasonable chance that they’ve expressed similar behavior in the office.
Riot Games found that a quarter of the people it had fired in the last year had also shown “unusually high” levels of toxic behavior in the game. Armed with this information, it decided to address the problem proactively with its remaining staff. Using in-game chat logs, it hoped to identify and talk to potentially difficult members of staff before they became a larger problem. It singled out 30 of the most divisive employees, all of whom were fairly new to the company, and put them in two separate camps; those who required a stern warning, and those who should be let go.
During these meetings, many employees expressed regret at how they had been conducting themselves in the game. “Pretty much everyone was appalled at their own behavior,” Jay Moldenhauer-Salazar, head of Talent for Riot Games said. “We actually received some essays from employees vowing to change their ways and become not just more considerate gamers, but better people.” The chat logs also factored in the decision to fire some employees who had presented “serious problems” before.
There will always be some differences in the way people behave in person and over the internet. Just because someone is throwing expletives at their teammate on Halo 5: Guardians doesn’t mean they’ll use the same language at work. Or at least, the behavior isn’t guaranteed. However, Riot’s data shows that there is a general trend — a warning, perhaps, if you’ve ever aspired to work at a game developer. Just like your Facebook page, Riot is prepared to dig into the past of League players to determine whether they’re a good fit for the company. Consider yourself warned.
Via: gamesindustry.biz
Source: re:Work
Sony boss confirms PlayStation 4 ‘Neo’ exists, won’t be at E3
In an interview with the Financial Tmes, Sony executive Andrew House has confirmed that a new, more-powerful PlayStation 4, codenamed “Neo,” is coming, but says it will not be unveiled at E3. House, who is the president and global chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, says the new system will be sold alongside the existing PS4 for the entirety of this console generation. “It is intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4,” he told the FT, “we will be selling both [versions] through the life cycle.”
The new console will output both video and games at up to 4K resolution. House confirmed reports that all games released this generation will continue to support the base PS4 model. As for what the “Neo” will support, House said “all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4.” We assume that means all games will run on Neo, but some may not be optimized to offer graphical improvements. Otherwise that’s just crazy talk.
The rest of the interview is light on real news. House said the new console will target hardcore gamers and those with a 4K television looking for more high-res content. He noted that the console will be more expensive than the base model, which is a given, but would not give a price, a release date, or even a date when the machine would be formally announced. The one thing he did confirm? It won’t be at E3 next week.
The reason behind House’s sudden openness on the subject is obvious: Microsoft is widely rumored to be announcing its own set of hardware refreshes at a press conference on Monday. Sony wants investors and the public alike to be aware that something better is around the corner in the world of PlayStation as well.
Source: Financial Times
Living the trainer life with ‘Pokemon Go’
Niantic senior product manager Tatsuo Nomura and I are walking directly across the street from San Francisco’s Embarcadero waterfront. It’s a beautiful day for a stroll. His phone vibrates as we amble under the Bay Bridge and we stop. It turns out this “landmark” doubles as a PokeStop in the upcoming Pokemon Go mobile game. We pause and he collects an egg that will eventually hatch into a pocket monster ready for battle.
In this way the Pokemon Go mobile game drops perfectly into the mythology surrounding the phenomenon that recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The company says to expect both iOS and Android apps launching sometime later this year. Instead of battling your tiny digital terrors from the comfort of your couch, it nudges you (well, actually forces you) outside to catch new Pokemon, hatch the ones you’ve already harvested and battle for supremacy of local “Gyms” (a locale where teams battle for supremacy). Sort of like the characters in the actual game and animated series.
“The whole world of Pokemon is based on the trainer going out into the woods and finding Pokemon with his Pokedecks and Poke ball,” Niantic CEO John Hanke told Engadget. “You can live the story of being a Pokemon trainer.”
Part of living that world is the new Go Plus device (no word on price). It looks like a cross between a Google pin and a Poke ball. Designed and built by Nintendo, it allows folks to keep playing the game without taking their phones out of their pocket by alerting them when they are near a Pokestop. Variations in vibrations and colors will tell gamers what’s going on and with a few taps of the button they can gather up new Pokemon without staring at a screen.
Unfortunately, I did not get to see a demo of the Go Plus device during our quick jaunt around San Francisco. Instead Nomura checks his phone and tells me that because we’re near the bay, the creatures we capture will be water-based. “If you’re in a park there will be more grass type Pokemon. We actually try to map the real world with the Pokemon types,” he said while we head to our next destination.
The second PokeStop is only a few yards away from the one below the Bay Bridge. It’s a series of plaques in the concrete. I’ve never noticed them before. “These are points of interest that people are not aware of. We’re trying to have people visit these places to learn more about their neighborhood. To discover the places that they would normally ignore, “Nomura said.
I’m assured that even in small towns, there will be stops for gamers — many of which were suggested by players of Niantic’s other alternate reality game, Ingress. Those players and the company are constantly adding new waypoints in the real world to visit in the digital. Some of those spots are in Pokemon Go with others constantly being evaluated to see if they will be added to the game.
“‘Adventures on foot,’ that’s our motto,” Nomura tells me after we battle (and lose) to try and oust one of three teams (you can join team blue, red or yellow) from the local Gym. Each of these interactions with the game only took about the time it takes to send a few texts. Pokemon Go is probably destined to be a huge hit. Mostly because it’s Pokemon. But also, it looks like a fun way to explore your town with a game that doesn’t require your constant attention.
Get the real ‘Fruit Ninja’ on the VR platform of your choice
This is Fruit Ninja. There are many like it, but this is Halfbrick Studios’. And while it’s been imitated over and over for regular apps as well as VR, there’s only one original. It’s headed for VR via the HTC Vive and several other platforms later this month.
Fruit Ninja VR doesn’t have an exact release date beyond that estimation, but its trailer reveals some very satisfying fruit-slicing action, where you’ll cut oranges, apples and watermelons to ribbons. There’ll be three modes to choose from, including Classic, Arcade and Zen, with unique twists on the original game’s challenges. There’s even a multiplayer mode planned for the future, which could make for some very interesting (and silly) interactions.
Halfbrick is planning on bringing the game to Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and Google Daydream eventually, but for right now Vive fans should keep an eye out for the game to make its debut on the E3 show floor next week. It could very well become one of the platform’s most enjoyable diversions.
Via: UploadVR
Source: IGN
Play Xbox online for free this weekend
Microsoft has offered its Free Multiplayer Weekends before, but at the end of this week, the promotion will be available to both Xbox One and Xbox 360 together for the first time. In fact, it’s the first time the free trial has been available on Microsoft’s current-gen console. This means that from Thursday to Sunday (June 9-12), you’ll be able to play with your pals online free of charge if you don’t have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. During that same period, Rocket League for Xbox One will also be free to play, so we hope you didn’t already have plans.
Starting Sunday, all Xbox Live Gold members will be able to play games from the EA Access library for free until June 22nd. That’s usually a $5 monthly or $30 annual fee for titles like Battlefield, Titanfall, Madden NFL 16, FIFA 16, Dead Space and more. If you decide to splurge for a subscription after the trial period is up, you’ll be able to pick up any saved progress from where you left off.
Source: Major Nelson (1), (2)
The free ‘Street Fighter V’ story mode treads on familiar ground
Just as Capcom promised, the first-ever story mode for the Street Fighter series will arrive later this month. “A Shadow Falls,” a five-chapter, story-based addition to Street Fighter V, will be available at the end of June as a free download. Based on the time I spent playing the first chapter, hard-core Street Fighter V fans should be happy to get the story mode they’ve been asking for — but from a gameplay perspective, Capcom played it safe.
As with other story modes in games like the recent Mortal Kombat, “A Shadow Falls” basically consists of standard, one-round Street Fighter V matches bookended by lengthy cinematic scenes to tell the story and explain why those fights are happening in the first place. So if you’re familiar with SFV gameplay, you’ll feel right at home. I was a little disappointed not to see more innovation or new gameplay styles here, but on the other hand, that’s probably not what fans of the series are looking for. It’s more about letting you play some matches with your favorite characters while getting more backstory than any other SF game has offered thus far.
Again, though, how much you get out of that story will depend on how well you know the Street Fighter universe. As someone who only knows the basics (M. Bison is bad, obviously), I felt a bit lost in the game’s mythology as the story started. That said, a lot of the mystery comes from the way the presentation unfolds. By the end of the first chapter, I had a decent sense of what was going on, though the motivations for many of the characters still weren’t clear. That’ll likely become more obvious as the game goes on, but those with less SF experience should expect to be in the dark at first.
The gameplay, however, will be familiar to anyone who has played a recent Street Fighter game. The match-ups are identical to other battles in the game, except for the fact that they only last one round (rather than best of two out of three). What does make the fighting interesting is that from fight to fight, you don’t know the identify of the character you’ll be controlling. A few times, I found myself in control of one of the “good” guys for several battles only to have the viewpoint switch up as I needed to dispatch the character I was previously in control of. Although that formula is standard in story mode for fighting games, it was still fun to see how your next match would get set up.
This update will also contain a few other bits of new content beyond story mode. Most notable is a new character named Ibuki. She’s showed up in other Street Fighter games, but her style and moves have been revamped for SFV. Probably the most notable thing about her gameplay style is that she has to “reload” her projectile weapons. She holds five knives at a time and can fire them all off at once or in various combos — but once she’s out, you’ll need to find a quick break in the action to initiate a reload.
You’ll also be able to purchase in-game items using cold, hard cash rather than earning in-game “fight money” as you play. Capcom also says there will be a handful of new stages and costumes and teased a few surprises that I didn’t get to see just yet. The exact launch date hasn’t been finalized, but Capcom promises the mode will be available by the end of June.
‘Minecraft: Education Edition’ launches in early access
A new version of Minecraft developed for the classroom is now available in early access. Minecraft: Education Edition was announced back in January alongside Microsoft’s acquisition of MinecraftEdu, a team that had already been tweaking the game for teachers. The replacement is available for free this summer before a per-student pricing model is introduced for the academic year. As a small thank you, Microsoft has promised existing MinecraftEdu customers a year of free access to Education Edition — presumably that will kick in once the early access trial wraps up.
Education Edition has a few advantages over the vanilla version of Minecraft. Right off the bat, up to 30 students can learn and collaborate in the same world, negating the need to set up a private server through a service like Minecraft Realms. Teachers can create non-player characters (NPCs) to create a more guided experience, and equip them with web links so that students can access additional resources. There’s also a chalkboard item for providing instructions and a camera that students can use to take snapshots of their work, building an in-game portfolio along the way.
Microsoft says it’s still working on a bunch of other features that the community has requested. These include a new interface which gives teachers a map (with markers for every student), the ability to teleport users (should they start to mess around or wander off accidentally) and a chat window for managing both private and classroom-wide conversations. Minecraft has already proven itself to be an effective education tool, teaching art, geology and coding — with an official version for school, its potential and successes are almost certain to grow.
Source: Minecraft: Education Edition
‘Destiny’ Rise of Iron expansion hits PS4, Xbox One in September
Destiny’s next expansion, Rise of Iron, hits PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 20th complete with a new raid, strike, weapons, gear, missions and competitive multiplayer mode. This is the first Destiny expansion to hit current-generation consoles only — there’s no word on Xbox 360 or PS3 releases.
Rise of Iron brings back the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher, a weapon that was over-powered in the game’s early days but fell off once Destiny entered Year Two. For those who pre-order the new content, the Gjallarhorn comes in an “Iron Black” color, fitting the whole ferrous theme. Rise of Iron also introduces a new social space called The Plaguelands Zone. The expansion costs $30 and requires players own the Destiny base game plus The Taken King.
Details about Rise of Iron leaked a tad early, but today’s livestream confirmed the expansion’s offerings. The story dives into the history of the Iron Lords, a faction of Guardians who were tasked with watching over Old Russia from a snowy, craggy mountain range called Felwinter Peak. The Iron Lords sacrificed themselves to keep a great evil at bay, but that plague returns for players to defeat once again. The story also reveals who Jolder is — she (that’s right, she) already has a legendary machine gun named after her, and players will discover what makes her so noteworthy in Destiny’s lore.
Destiny will get a sequel in 2017 and E3 is right around the corner — that show kicks off on Sunday, June 12th with press conferences from EA and Bethesda, followed by Xbox, Ubisoft and PlayStation on Monday. We’ll be live on the ground delivering the latest gaming news all week.
CD Projekt releasing The Witcher 3’s’ Gwent as standalone game
If you spent way too much time partaking in the metagame Gwent in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, you might want to set aside a few days’ vacation for this announcement. CD Projekt, creator of The Witcher, has trademarked Gwent: The Witcher Card Game.
According to a report from NerdLeaks, the company filed a trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office for an upcoming “computer software” application. While the trademark doesn’t explicitly state whether or not this filing extends to a physical card game or not, the assumption is the game will be released as its very own standalone game.
Witcher fans are all about some Gwent, so a Hearthclone for mobile or even a simple platform on which you can collect cards and challenge others to games would be a coup. Unless, you know, you’ve got something productive to do with your time.
With E3 2016 around the corner, we may well see an official announcement next week.
Source: NerdLeaks
Prosthetic arms inspired by ‘Deus Ex’ are coming next year
Remember that prosthetic arm, inspired by Metal Gear Solid, that Konami developed for a British amputee? Well, it seems the company has started a trend. Square Enix and Eidos-Montréal have now teamed up with Open Bionics, a specialist in low-cost prosthetics, to develop some designs based on the world of Deus Ex. The franchise delves deep into a possible future where human augmentation is commonplace, changing society and warfare in equal measure. Two arms — one based on Adam Jensen, the hero of Mankind Divided, another on the wider Deus Ex universe — will be released next year as royalty-free designs that anyone can use.
Open Bionics has already made prosthetic arms inspired by Iron Man, Frozen and Star Wars. The new designs look more impressive, however; the Adam Jensen arm (below) is full of detail, from its flexing fingers to the rotating wrist. The Titan arm (above), meanwhile, is more stylized with sharp, geometric shapes and angles. Both are colored in gunmetal grey and gold, reflecting the series and its augmented superhero.
Eidos-Montreal and Open Bionics will be showing the arms at multiple game shows including E3 and Gamescom, with a little help from Razer. The company, most known for its gaming keyboards and mice, will be using its Stargazer webcam to track people’s movements and show them what it would be like to control an artificial limb. They might not be as lethal as those used by Adam Jensen, but they look the part — if they perform half as well, they could be attractive to amputees with a passion for the franchise.
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