Blacklight sequel going free-to-play

The sequel to Blacklight: Tango Down is going to lower the price in addition to the, uh, tango. Zombie Studios CEO Mark Long told Big Download that the sequel to the downloadable FPS, called just "Blacklight" for now, will be released under a free-to-play model, instead of the traditional one-time purchase fee attached to the original.

"The full game will be free along with premium content that can be purchased in-game," Long said. "Blacklight will feature a large number of improvements based on the player feedback we've gotten. And we hope going free-to-play will close that loop so we can respond even faster to player preferences." And hopefully give Zombie more resources (read: money) with which to implement those responses, no doubt.

The new game will use Unreal Engine 3, but won't use any assets from its predecessor. New weapons, new levels, and new "mech" vehicles will be featured -- the latter of which can be seen in the single released screenshot, above. Since it looks totally awesome, we're guessing that's going to be a microtransaction-based item.

JoystiqBlacklight sequel going free-to-play originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/14/blacklight-sequel-going-free-to-play/

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Crytek seeking iOS developers, tries not to mention it's for games

Crytek, a developer that's built a reputation for creating game engines that make even the highest-end PC gaming rigs weep, is making a move into ... mobile development? In a job posting on Develop, the company has put the word out that it's looking for people with experience making iOS apps, specifically candidates who've shipped at least one product on the App Store.

You've probably noticed that we haven't mentioned games yet, and there's a reason: In its posting, Crytek is pretty careful not to use any language that would suggest that successful applicants will go on to create games for iPhone, IPad or iPod touch. Well, except for one line near the end of the "requirements" section: "Passion for video games."

The fact that we haven't heard any rumblings regarding iOS games from Crytek before, and that it's just now sounding the call for applications, leads us to believe that any mobile projects the company has -- games or otherwise -- must be pretty early in development. That, or it's just really taking its time coming up with the absolute best way to bring your iPhone's PowerVR GPU to its knees.

JoystiqCrytek seeking iOS developers, tries not to mention it's for games originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/14/crytek-seeking-ios-developers-tries-not-to-mention-its-for-gam/

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Digital Primetime Arrives Just in Time to Crush the Net

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The following is also my column in next week's Advertising Age.

Digital Primetime Arrives Just in Time to Crush the Net

All of the social media hype has, to some degree, diverted attention from the bigger storyline to emerge over the last few years - the meteoric rise of long-form, streaming video viewing. 

Unlike Twitter and YouTube, which propelled ordinary geeks and moms to cult-like status, the Hollywood content community here has been the runaway winner. There's more demand than ever for professionally created and curated content. 

However, a new dynamic is emerging that could completely upend the economics - that is if it doesn't break the Internet first.

First, a look at the trend lines.

For years streaming video was a two-foot viewing experience that took place largely at desks via PCs. While YouTube's user-generated and viral clips dominate short fare, long-form streaming video is coming into its own and on different platforms. 

The entertainment community - with the help of partners and in a race against piracy - has been aggressive in making their content available as on-demand streams rather than solely as downloads. This means that studio content is now far more widely available than ever before - and it's "couch friendly" too. Online video has become a seamless archipelago that spans a one-foot experience on smartphones and tablets to a ten-foot experience on set-top-enabled TVs.

Consider Netflix, for example. The company's on-demand video rental service is available on dozens of connected devices. This includes everything from the Roku set-top box to the iPhone and iPad. By one measure, Americans are eating it up.

Sandvine reported last week that Netflix alone represents a staggering 20 percent of all downstream US Internet traffic during what's normally primetime (between eight and 10 p.m.) This is remarkable given that the overwhelming majority of Netflix subscribers - 98% according to Sandvine - are not streaming content yet.

XBox Live, which carries Netflix and other content, is seeing a similar pattern. Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson), Xbox Live's Director of Programming, blogged last week that 42 percent of XBox Live's more active 25 million US users are streaming an average of an hour of television and movies per day. (Disclosure: Edelman, my employer, handles Xbox's PR needs.)

Digital primetime is here. Madison Avenue should be giddy with excitement. Hulu served nearly 800,000 ads in July, comScore reports. What's more, the proliferation of interruptions are not stopping Hulu users from watching an average of 2.6 hours of video per month.

But there are potential challenges ahead as Xbox, Netlfix and Hulu supplant the TV nets as the new kings of primetime.

For starters, as more Americans become "cord cutters" we may opt for ad-free on-demand rentals or all-you-can eat subscriptions. The appeal is interruption-free viewing. Some 13% of Americans intend to cut the cord in the next 12 months, according to Strategy Analytics - a market research firm.

However, the more scary scenario is that all of this video consumption and cord cutting could push the Internet to a breaking point.

Nielsen reports that 64 million people watched at least part of the World Cup online. That's a drop in the bucket by what we'll see in 2014 when Brazil hosts the event. The Internet may not be ready for it.

Akamai President David Kenny says that in five years the average user will consume two hours a day of HD video. To accommodate this insatiable demand, the Internet will need to increase capacity 548 times from where it is today. Factor in net neutrality debates, cable companies squaring off with TV networks and it's easy to be pessimistic that there's enough "shovel-ready" broadband projects underway to pave the way.

Advertisers, not just the content community and distributors, have a significant stake in the future of Internet video. However, the debates around net neutrality and capacity aren't front page concerns for most us. They need to be.

The danger is that the ad community will be left out of the debate. Even worse it may not have a voice in creating viable ad-supported ways for the providers to invest in infrastructure, just as millions of cord cutters flee cable TV for ad-free content and push the Net to the limit.

Photo credit: jeffgunn

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steverubel/~3/bkUB3RjKK1M/digital-primetime-arrives-just-in-time-to-cru

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School Locks out FIRST Team, Keeps Their Cash

In a time when some schools are trying to encourage science and engineering education, Franklin High School in Portland, OR not only tried to shut down FIRST team 1432 but is keeping their tools, equipment, and $7,500 the students raised for their team. An article in a local paper called The Bee quotes one of the team members:

“We found ourselves standing outside the auto shop waiting to get in on October 21st. Three times previously, Principal Shay James refused to let us have our robot for the OMSI display on October 23. Finally, James allowed us to remove the robot only. All of our computers, parts, and tools are still locked in the auto shop.”

To get an idea of how the school's actions are affecting the team, here's a quote from Team 1432's website:

It appears we will lose $3,540 from Intel and another $3500 from the grant money that came through FIRST – M.J. Murdock, Oregon Community fund. <...> The school seized all of our property – 7 years of gathering tools, equipment, building materials and computers and kept it from us for the last 31 days. We find out on Monday what they will let us have back. This has kept us from doing Girls Generation, Bunny Bots, and a second regional. It has also cost us half of our new members because of the instability and uncertainty.

The school claims none of its 100 staff members are willing to act as "advisor" for the group. The principal declined to be interviewed for The Bee's article and according to Rebecca LohKamp, "In all the years we’ve been there, a Principal has never come to see us". This apparent lack of interest was confirmed by the school's business manager who told the paper that the robotics team would conflict with plans for a more academic, classroom-based, "smaller scale" robotics curriculum.

We'd bet if this were the football team rather than a club that promotes educational activities, the school administration wouldn't have any problem finding the resources to support them. But until Shay James and the other bureaucrats get a clue, might we suggest that local robot clubs around the country get in touch with Team 1432 and ask how they can help out? One thing that might help is if a 501(c)(3) group could become their fiscal sponsor and help them recover some of their funds from the school. And it probably wouldn't hurt to let the Franklin High School staff or the Portland Public School system know what you think.

Update: The latest update on the team's website clears up a few things from The Bee article. They confirm there were at least 5 teachers willing to act as advisor but school staff "talked them out of it". The school now claims it has returned most of the team's money to the donors.

Source: http://robots.net/article/3078.html

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1UP's Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 and Top Shot Elite Giveaway

1UP's Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 and Top Shot Elite Giveaway
How To Play

Prizes

Prizes

Win a copy of Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 today on 1UP Giveaways and be the first on your block to rock the Top Shot Elite - a high-quality, pump-action adjustable stock rifle that adds realism to Dangerous Hunts hunting/survival drama. Want a chance to track big game using this one-of-a-kind peripheral deep in the virtual wild? If you aren't convinced yet, this guy will do the job:

Source: http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3183064

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Holiday Gifts: Handmade, Local and Re-gifts

For the holidays I received some new eau de toilette and realized that the ones sitting on my dresser had been there for over 3 years and I hadn't worn them in awhile. They smelled pretty good still and they still had over 25% of it left over (all the more reason to buy half an ounce at a time).
And by the way, it is suggested that you keep your eau de toilettes out of the bathroom and put it someplace that keeps at room temperature.
Flickr/CC - morenoandres
A new perfume/cologne, but how to use the old one?
? Use as a room deodorizer (bathroom, bedroom, automobile)
? Spray into a new vacuum bag or emptied container
? Ward off animals around your garden - Spray strips of material and hang around garden
? Hold onto them for a selling at a yard sale (keep them out of the sun though)
? Spray onto your light bulbs - instead of paying $10 a piece, also spray when they are turned off.
? Spritz into the TP roll when changing - save $$ on scented rolls from Charmin
? Use in the drawer, closet or gym bag - spray a cotton ball and put a couple in the corners
? Take it to work and keep handy against those lunch smells

Homemade/Local Made
Let me start off by stating that store bought items are wonderful and I love to receive them. Now I will also say there is a special place in my heart for those items that have had extra sweat poured into them. (Not counting all the cool items handed down through the family)

I still have the king sized peach colored quilt my grandmother stitched for me in 1992. She was unsure how I would use it, and gave me a way to hang it up with a rod as well as sewing information about  the quilt, such as when it was made, by whom and who designed the patterns for it (my great grandmother and great, great grandmother).
Other items around the house that hold a special place in my heart:
? A melted bottle spoon holder
? Bottles of spices made from herb garden
? Many ceramic dishes and housewares made by a family member
? Jars of jelly, cookies and homemade breads
? Locally made organic Zkano socks (won a pair- no rule against being free)
? 8mm home movies put onto a dvd
? Homemade soaps that smell yummy

Organizing the Re-Gifts
This year I only re-gifted one item that I had been holding onto for a few months, it is my goal to re-gift at least one item a year and maybe more; but it isn't something I have control over.

There are just some gifts that don't work with our personality or interests. It is at those times you smile big (include the crinkle at your eyes for a genuine smile) and say "thank you very much!" Then you set the item aside and when you are alone, put a post-it note on the item with the name of the person who gave it to you so you don't accidentally give it back.

Keep a box or an easily accessible corner in the closet to put it away for that upcoming birthday or holiday where you can pull it out and wrap it for another person who will appreciate it more, thus saving yourself money and not wasting the money of the giver.

Flickr/cc - tornatore
6 Words of Wisdom on Re-gifting:
? It's a Secret - Don't let the giver or the receiver know, unless you are certain they are ok with the idea of re-gifting.
? Clean and Update it - Make sure the dust is cleaned off and any old wrapping is removed. Clean the past off and give it a new future.
? Stay Away from Hand-me-downs - If I've seen you wear it around and I said I liked it, I really don't want it as a gift. Re-gifts should look like new. There are the occasional special situations, such as the family heirloom. But the bamboo cutting board should look new, not like you used it for last night's stir fry.
? Keep Track - Like I said above, find a way to keep track of who the giver was, so that you don't give it back to them or their circle of friends and they recognize it again.
? Sell it off - When you have no idea who to re-gift the item to, then sell it off to someone new and use the money towards your gift buying. Or even better, give it away to a charity and get a tax write-off receipt for it.
? Re-gifting White Elephants - These are the same items you give back and forth to the same people over and over again. This is something that is mutually agreed upon. This would be a used book, or a bad brick of bread and so on.

What are some items you would NEVER re-gift?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IpRp/~3/U6zg2r1G0Hk/holiday-gifts-handmade-local-and-re.html

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