Steam runs out of ‘Splinter Cell’ game keys during a sale
Digital stores by their nature usually have unlimited inventory, right? Don’t tell that to recent Splinter Cell: Blacklist buyers. Steam began a sale on Splinter Cell games on October 28th, and almost immediately ran out of Blacklist keys — you just received a “failed to contact key server” error (or similar) when trying to play the stealth action title. Steam support and developer Ubisoft promised that keys would arrive on October 30th, but there were still reports of CD key issues as of that afternoon.
We’ve asked both Valve and Ubisoft for their responses and will let you know if they say more. Some users say they’ve received refunds, but that’s not much comfort if you were determined to get Sam Fisher’s adventures at a discount. And no matter what, it’s clear that there wasn’t adequate planning. You don’t run a sale when you’re unprepared to handle the inevitable increase in demand, especially not in a digital era when customers simply expect software to be available.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Steam Community, Reddit
EA temporarily blocks Origin access in all of Myanmar
Some gamers are learning first-hand about the dangers of trusting your game library to a copy-protected service: you’re at the mercy of that service and its interpretation of the law. Players living in Myanmar have discovered that EA started blocking access to Origin in the country sometime in September. Even if you started your account elsewhere, you aren’t allowed to either visit the Origin store or use any of your purchased games. You can use a virtual private network to get around the restriction, but that could easily bog down your connection while playing online. Thankfully, the headache is only momentary.
EA initially said the block was a matter of obeying US laws that ban offering service in certain countries. However, that was an unusual decision giving the timing. President Obama announced that same month that the US would lift trade sanctions on Myanmar, and they haven’t been in effect since October 7th. Why clamp down right as legal restrictions are disappearing? The company now realizes that this was a mistake: a spokesperson tells Engadget that it’s “working to restore access,” and will discuss the timing when it can. You can read the full statement below.
While that’s heartening news, the incident underscores the advantage of buying from stores with unprotected games, like GOG. Even if the service shuts down completely, those games will still work. It also suggests that services like Origin should have policies in place for compensating users who lose access in cases like this, rather than asking them to accept country-wide bans.
“We are working to restore access to Origin for our players in Myanmar. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and we’ll share updates on timing as soon as possible.”
Source: Reddit, EA Answers HQ (1), (2)
Ben Heck’s multi-system retro controller
Using a build idea from the element14 Community, Ben takes an ESP8266 module and creates the ultimate all-in-one retro gaming controller for the Super Nintendo, Sega Megadrive / Genesis and Nintendo Entertainment System. To get the digital signals from the buttons across the wireless transmission to the receiver, Ben will have to use shift registers such as the 74HC595 to combine the bits into a data stream. It’s not all straightforward, though: Felix steps in to help with LUA scripting and the team hits a snag with the programming. Fortunately, designing the enclosure is a lot simpler thanks to Autodesk Fusion 360. After a lot of testing, soldering and taking apart a Sega controller, the team creates a controller of wonder. Which consoles would you control? Would you design it any differently? Suggest a build on the element14 Community.
‘Skyrim Special Edition’ audio took a step backward
As a rule, remasters of classic video games are supposed to be clear steps forward in audiovisual quality. However, Bethesda didn’t get that memo before launching Skyrim Special Edition. PC and Xbox One owners have noticed that their version of Skyrim is using highly compressed audio that’s noticeably worse than in the original release. You’re fine if you have the PS4 version (or are willing to modify your PC copy), but it’s a rude surprise for everyone else.
Mercifully, you won’t have to put up with this downgrade for too long. Bethesda is testing a patch that improves audio quality, and might have the update available by early November. It’s not certain what prompted the use of compression in the first place (it’s possibly a size reduction measure), but it’s safe to say that Bethesda will be careful with any remasters going forward.
[Thanks, Kristy]
Source: Reddit (1), (2)
Game studios go all-out with Halloween events and sales
Game developers thrive on seasonal events, and that’s truer than ever this Halloween. It’s not just themed skins and game modes, although there are plenty of those — there are some serious bargains to be had, whether you’re a Steam veteran or just getting into virtual reality. Even PlayStation Now has some Halloween goodies. We’ve rounded up some of the spookier events and sales to make sure you don’t miss out.
The bottom line: Our quick verdict on the PlayStation VR
And then there were three. The PlayStation VR went on sale earlier this month, making it the third big-name tethered VR headset to arrive this year. Though it’s less immersive than either the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive that came before it, the PSVR is compelling for an entirely different set of reasons. It’s cheaper than the competition, for one, with a starting price of $400.
Secondly, look at all the content available for it! The PSVR launched with 30 compatible games, and Sony promises that number will grow to 50 by year’s end. And that includes some major franchises too, including Batman and Resident Evil. Not only are these games people will want to play, but the gear you need to experience them — a PS4, PlayStation Camera and Sony’s “Move” motion controllers — are already in millions of homes. Equally important, the PSVR is comfortable to wear — something we haven’t been able to say about every headset we’ve tested. That’s the bottom line, but if you’re craving a little more, find our full review here.
Unboxing and playing the ‘League of Legends’ board game
Mechs vs Minions is League of Legends fanfiction presented in the style of Dungeons & Dragons or Descent, with just a hint of Fireball Island thrown in for good measure. It’s a cooperative, programmable, card-wielding board game set in the League universe, starring League characters, but nothing about it feels shoehorned into a tabletop format. This could easily be a standalone game on the shelf at Target, no outside video game connection required.
That said, the aspects of Mechs vs Minions that reference League make the game exponentially more special for fans of the video game — and, let’s face it, there are a lot of League fans. More than 100 million people around the world play the game every month and SuperData Research estimates that its studio, Riot Games, will pull in revenue of nearly $1.8 billion in 2016. Part of that cash influx comes from Riot’s eSports efforts, which are in full swing this weekend: The League of Legends World Championship concludes on Saturday at the Los Angeles Staples Center, which has sold out (again) for the final global showdown.
But, that’s all just background information for the board game, which we unboxed live on Facebook on Friday. Mechs vs Minions is a cooperative tabletop experience designed for two to four players, who all work together to defeat hordes of minions and complete dangerous missions. The stars are Tristana, Corki, Ziggs and Heimerdinger, all of whom are yordles (short, furry, cartoonish creatures) plucked directly from League.
The map comes in five pieces to accommodate a plethora of mission designs, and players move around by slotting cards into their command lines — basically, these are long boards with six card-shaped slots. Each player gets her own command line and is able to customize it to make the associated character move, attack and transport packages across the map. It’s like programming; once the cards are slotted in, each player has to execute the entire line, in order, on each turn. Figuring out where to put action cards in relation to movement cards is half of the battle (and the fun).
However, minions and other hazards can make the command line messy. Players take damage when they’re next to minions and other explosive objects, which means they pick up a damage card. These cards are either placed on top of a slot in a player’s command line, mucking up the program until the player uses a turn to get rid of it, or they’re used right away, forcing players to move cards around their command line and generally throwing off their groove.
These are just the basics of Mechs vs Minions gameplay. The full game is $75 and it comes with 100 minions, four yordles, a large boss statue, five map pieces, nearly 200 cards, a tiny bomb figurine, and 10 mission envelopes, each offering a different way to play and new foes to defeat, and of course a dense rulebook and tutorial guide. This isn’t exactly a pick-up-and-play kind of tabletop game — it takes a little bit of studying and at least one practice round to get fully acquainted with its rhythms, but it’s absolutely worthwhile for League fans (and their long-suffering friends).
The Morning After Weekend Edition: Happy Halloween!
Letter from the Editor
Change is life. It’s what keeps things interesting. It’s also what keeps the cauldron of commerce at a full boil. And in the technology industry, change is constant. This week, Apple and Microsoft revealed new computers that’ll tempt many — particularly folks working in the creative arts — even if they come with eye-watering price tags.
Change can also be cause for consternation. Apple decided to eliminate the headphone jack from its phones a month ago, and yesterday it banished everything without a USB-C or Thunderbolt connector from its laptops. This is the pain of progress. Given enough time, the benefits received will, we hope, be a good bargain. It often is.
In other instances, change comes slowly. Jess Conditt wrote about how powerful video games have become as a medium for cultural and social commentary. Yet respect and investment for such projects trail more “traditional” arts, despite games’ arguably wider potential impact. And finally, Edgar Alvarez explained Amazon’s difficulties in becoming a purveyor of luxury fashion items. It seems that scale and quality can’t mix — at least in the minds of those running haute couture.
Hey, artists use Windows too!They’re used to paying Apple prices, right?
Microsoft wants to be the company for creative types. Like in the worst way possible. The company’s big Surface event this week was all about creating, building and drawing. There was even a little 3D printing thrown in for good measure. Of course, the biggest news was the launch of the Surface Studio all-in-one PC, but we’d be lying if we said MS Paint 3D didn’t kinda steal the show.
Apple wants your fingers to caress its new laptopAll in the name of stimulating your artistic sensibilities
Apple couldn’t let Microsoft hog the spotlight, though. The Cupertino crew held their own big event this week, and the focus was all on the MacBook Pro. The most exciting news was the addition of the Touch Bar on the high-end models — an OLED touchscreen strip in place of those anachronistic function keys. The less exciting news was that Apple ditched basically all the ports except for USB-C. At least they didn’t ax the headphone jack.
Shhh … you hear something?That’s the sound of sick video game sound effects, y’all
Microsoft went all out for the sound on “Gears of War 4.” Most games treat the audio like a second-class citizen, but developer the Coalition fired up some elaborate software that simulates how sound reacts in different environments and how it interacts with different materials to make “Gears 4” seem ultra-realistic. Or as realistic as a game set in the future on an alien world can seem.
R.I.P. VineWe (most of us) hardly knew ye
Twitter announced that it was going to be laying off more than 350 people, and now, it seems, we know where at least some of those cuts are coming from. Vine is coming to an end, and with it the art of six-second video loops. Some Engadget editors will miss it more than others.
What are pro designers saying about Microsoft’s Surface Dial?No thanks, mostly.
We talked to a host of illustrators, designers and other creative types to see what they think of Microsoft’s newest devices. The Surface Studio seems to have piqued their interest. The Dial, on the other hand…
Please don’t do this. Seriously.11 super-sexy Hallow-meme costumes
Look, sexy nurse and policeman are passé. If you’re really looking to leave an impression, you need to blend your love of popular internet culture with your normal raw sexual energy.
Bokeh everywhereiOS 10.1 brings a new photo feature to the iPhone 7 Plus
If you have an iPhone 7 Plus, you don’t need beta software to try out its new “portrait mode” shots. Environments where the background is a similar color to your subject can confuse the camera, but in most situations it did the job of making phone pictures look like they came from a high-end SLR camera.
But wait, there’s more…
- The FBI isn’t done with Hillary’s emails yet?
- I have the power! … of two first-gen Tesla battery packs
- Sony is working on new PS4 controllers for pro gamers (just don’t call them Elite)
It looks like Sony’s 10-year-plan for the PS3 is over
Yesterday, Sony announced that MLB The Show 17 will launch on PS4 next March — but it won’t be coming to the PS3. As the previous year’s edition of the sports game was the last first-party title to come to the aging console, this probably means Sony won’t put out new content. If so, we’ve reached the end of the company’s 10-year-plan to support the system. Goodnight, sweet prince.
There’s no sign that Sony will stop giving PS3 owners free old games through PS+, but without first-party support, owners of the legacy console don’t have much to look forward to. The last third-party developers making content for the old system have quietly stopped in the last year, which is still a long time to keep content coming out after the PS4 debuted in 2013.
Back in June, Bungie stated that the next Destiny expansion coming in the fall would split character progression along two paths, preventing players from earning anything when they jump between systems. As we noted when the new content went live at the end of July, it’s likely the developer’s first step in jettisoning support for last-generation console owners. At least they’ve held out longer than Activision, which announced last year that PS3 and Xbox 360 owners would be getting neither the single-player campaign nor the fourth DLC maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.
As for the latest harbinger of the PS3’s end days, MLB The Show 17 will come out on March 28th, 2017. Legendary slugger Ken Griffey, Jr. will bestir the cover of the American version, though Sony hasn’t announced which players will stare out from the international covers at the dejected faces of PlayStation 3 diehards, for whom brand-new digital baseball experiences are now the stuff of memory.
Source: Playstation blog
Someone really wants ‘No Man’s Sky’ developers to apologize
The internet hivemind’s vile side was at it again this morning. This time, by apparently hacking the Twitter, Linkedin and email accounts of No Man’s Sky developer Hello Games. Buckle up because this gets messy. “No Man’s Sky was a mistake.” Following an extended period of silence from the developer, that (now deleted) tweet went out earlier today. Thinking something was afoot, Kotaku reached out to the developer via email and was told that, “No, the tweet was not a hack, but rather a disgruntled employee. The email that we sent however was official.” Except the publication had received no prior emails.
When Polygon reached out, the culture and video game site was told, by someone apparently posing as lead developer Sean Murray, that “The tweet is from me, but somebody from the team took it down. We have not been coping well.”
Both Kotaku and Polygon received the following email:
“No Man’s Sky was a mistake.
I have contacted you because the silence from Hello Games has been unwarranted and unprofessional. The community has asked me to speak up, and I have a confession to make. The game was simply unfinished upon arrival. Our hand was forced by not only Sony, but the community as well. The constant harassment and absolute gross misconduct on the community’s part has made it hard to fulfill our artistic vision, while the pressure from Sony to release the game as soon as possible forced us to cut key features. I want to apologize for what we did not deliver on, as the game does not meet up to what our artistic vision was.
However, we do wish that the community was more understanding of our situation. Many people have asked for refunds despite our promise to continually improve and update No Man’s Sky. We are just a small studio that has poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this project. The complete lack of respect when it comes to the work we have done absolutely saddens not only myself, but the team as well. We want to improve the game to the point we dreamed of it being and beyond.
I hope everyone affected understands,
Sean Murray”
And then, Murray began tweeting from his personal account that there was a server hack, chiding that the team was watching Mr. Robot episodes to help find a solution.
If anything was a mistake, it was using Linked In without 2FA.
— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) October 28, 2016
Kotaku writes that the tweets in question were sent via a linked account on your college professor’s favorite social networking site.
.@NoMansSky 100% not hacked anymore… obviously those mails and that tweet were fake. Back to work 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
— Hello Games (@hellogames) October 28, 2016
When No Man’s Sky came out this summer it was met with a heap of backlash. Players have incited investigations over false advertising, claiming the game they bought wasn’t what they’d been promised. The game’s subreddit was shuttered after its moderator calling it a “hate filled wastehole of no actual discussion.” It’s since been reopened, but the rage has metastisized into more nefarious forms like today’s hacks and campaigns to lower the game’s Steam rating. Imagine what could happen if the perpetrators put this type of effort into doing good for the world.
We’ve reached out for additional information and will update this post should it arrive.
Source: Kotaku, Polygon
AIVAnet 