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Picking at the patinas of dead levels

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Yang) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:35:00 PDT

Sylvain "channie" Douce has done some excellent analysis of CoD:MW2's "Favela" -- read part 1 to understand the structure, then read part 2 for his excavation, where he wonders why certain rooms are there and even posits the former existence of a ladder based on how sloppy that part of the level feels.

It functions in the same way that a ring road might denote the former existence of a city wall, building cities on top of cities on top of cities. Levels function the same way, existing as iterations layered over each other -- a virtual patina that exists only in context to the rest of the level.

Western societies value this patina. We preserve buildings, we have a "National Register of Historic Places." Something old is something inherently valuable... Meanwhile, you get the Chinese government bulldozing hutongs and re-painting the Forbidden City. I'm a proponent of the former approach in real-life, so it's interesting that I don't nostalgize virtual environments in the same way at all. Why wouldn't you fix problems and smooth the cracks? That low-detail room and seam in Favela is a bug. And here, we squash bugs. No one lives in my levels, and there are no stakeholders or community councils to notify about the impending demolition.

But consider this. Someday, you will have a 9 year old child. You will point out the neighborhood you grew up in, and the streets where you used to play. She'll laugh; CS 1.6 is a 32-bit cold program, it's barely compatible with today's average quantum biological wetware. And de_dust... why, she can see the pixels in the textures! It's all laughable, really. It's great though, that you took the time to show her how video games used to be so old and obsolete.

You'll stay silent and mime a chuckle. That's when she'll realize she's hurt your feelings, and that's how she'll learn the weight of the dead is always shouldered by the living.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is currently in private beta testing.

Ferrari Factory Store / Iosa Ghini Associates

Megan Jett — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:30:24 PDT

Architects: Iosa Ghini Associates
Location: Alessandria, Italy
Project Area: 370 sqm
Photographs: Gianluca Grassano

Ferrari Factory Store of Serravalle Scrivia, entirely designed by Iosa Ghini Associates, is located outside McArthur Glen Outlet in Serravalle Scrivia. For the first time in the history of Ferrari Stores an entire building has been designed to accommodate the store. The building enjoys a privileged position as one of the first structures of the Outlet visible from the main parking area and access roads, for this reason it was designed with an exterior that immediately identifies it at ‘Ferrari space”

The building of approximately 370 sqm is characterized by a large glass gallery that recalls the image and feel of Formula One box, immediately projecting visitors in the Ferrari world.

From a technical point of view the glass gallery is highly innovative with a curved face without mounting posts and bars that permit total visibility inward and outward. The curved glass panels are assembled using a frameless anchor system, i.e. without mounting supports but with ultra light and clips that guarantees the perception of material continuity between the plate glasses and provides lightness to the whole system.

Climate control of the glass gallery is effected by a system of air circulation that takes advantage of the motion of air convection, allowing for the passive cooling by natural induction. This natural system is supported by a forced air system that may be activated when climate conditions require it. In addition, the exterior glass envelope is treated with special UV protection films as well as a screen prints that reduces sun rays for energy savings as required by national standards for the sector.

Beyond the glass gallery there is the commercial space. As in all Ferrari Stores the merchandise areas are: the zone for Ferrari fans is designed with aluminium slats of high flexibility, in the luxury zone the display windows use soft materials, brushed leather and polished lacquer, in the children’s zone both systems are integrated : slats and display windows finished in yellow lacquer. A shaped false ceiling outlines the design of the ensemble and follows the path of visitors. The design of the areas is tightly connected to the design and graphic project specific to each Ferrari Store.

The graphic style is integral part of the project, in a personal vision of Iosa Ghini Associates of the architectural space, where the three dimensions meet to obtain an encompassing area able to capture all senses, to transmit an engaging idea through a physical and iconographic interpretation.

Text provided by Iosa Ghini Associates

Ferrari Factory Store / Iosa Ghini Associates originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 28 Oct 2011.

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News: Samsung overtakes Apple as global smartphone leader

(author unknown) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:09:00 PDT

Samsung has overtaken Apple as the number one smartphone manufacturer in the world.

According to research firm Strategy Analytics, reported by Bloomberg, the South Korean company shipped 27.8 million smartphones in the third quarter - almost four times its shipments in the same quarter last year.

Samsung's telecommunications division doubled its year-on-year sales to $2.2 billion, which is around 60 per cent of the company's total revenue.

News: Sony pays €1.05bn to buy out Ericsson

(author unknown) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:28:13 PDT

Shared by channie
Non mais où trouvent-ils le pognon pour faire ça ?

Sony Ericsson has announced that Sony itself will be buying out the Ericsson share of the mobile handset company for a €1.05 billion ($1.45bn) cash payment, although further incentives may also be involved.

"This acquisition makes sense for Sony and Ericsson, and it will make the difference for consumers, who want to connect with content wherever they are, whenever they want," said Sony chairman, president and CEO Howard Stringer.

"With a vibrant smartphone business and by gaining access to important strategic IP, notably a broad cross-license agreement, our four-screen strategy is in place. We can more rapidly and more widely offer consumers smartphones, laptops, tablets and televisions that seamlessly connect with one another and open up new worlds of online entertainment. This includes Sony's own acclaimed network services, like the PlayStation Network and Sony Entertainment Network."

Report: Nintendo to post $1.32 billion loss tomorrow

(author unknown) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:19:16 PDT

Shared by channie
SAINTE MERDE.

Nintendo has forecast a loss off 55 billion yen (approximately $725 million) for the first half of the fiscal year ending on September 30, but Japanese newspaper Nikkei business daily claims the loss could be as high as 100 billion yen ($1.32 billion). Nintendo's shares took a 7.5% hit after the news broke, to 10,800 yen ($142).

Reuters cites sluggish sales of the 3DS due to the increased competition of smartphones as one cause of the loss, as well as difficulties due to the strength of the yen. Nintendo declined to comment on the report to Reuters, but the full earnings are due tomorrow.

Nintendo has had a strong hardware backbone over the last few years, but that position has been weakening lately. The Wii is in its twilight years with fewer new games hitting while the company focuses on the Wii U. The 3DS, which could have carried the company through the waiting period if it had sold like the original DS, sold slowly enough to warrant a heavy price reduction within months of its release.

Level with Me, Jack Monahan

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Yang) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:42:00 PDT

UPDATE 2: The second installment, with Polycount fixture Jack Monahan, is now up. Read part 2.

It's been pretty quiet around here... that's because I've been spending all my time recording interviews, transcribing them, editing them to make people sound smart, etc. Why did no one ever tell me this "game journalist" racket was so much work?

The first installment of "Level with Me," this time with the naturally smart-sounding Dan Pinchbeck, is now up at Rock Paper Shotgun for your perusal. Read part 1.

Sebastien Broussaud Après Ritchie, c'est McCarthy, c'est la période ou y a les vrais qui partent http://t.co/PShO6eVf

(author unknown) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:47:38 PDT

Shared by channie
Et quand est-ce que tu pars toi ? Parce que ça m'arrangerait.

Sebastien Broussaud Après Ritchie, c'est McCarthy, c'est la période ou y a les vrais qui partent http://t.co/PShO6eVf

Android ICS apporte une totale compatibilité avec les contrôleurs de jeu externes

Tony Balt — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:40:40 PDT

Cette nouvelle fonctionnalité n’est pas nouvelle sur Android, puisqu’elle était déjà accessible depuis un certain temps par le biais des connectivités sans-fil et filaires, à l’aide d’une application compatible. Il m’arrive moi-même de lancer l’émulateur, pour m’éclater avec ma Wiimote sur des incontournables : Super Mario Land 2, Mario Kart, MegaMan..

Tutoriel de configuration du contrôleur de jeu externe sous Android 4.0.

Depuis Android Honeycomb ’3.1′, il est officiellement possible de connecter des périphériques USB, qui sont ensuite automatiquement reconnus par la système d’exploitation mobile (disques durs externes, manettes de jeu..). Avec Ice Cream Sandwich, le support évolue et devient compatible avec tous les terminaux mobiles sous Android qui embarquent cette version. L’avantage est que si votre appareil dispose d’un port HDMI, il sera toujours possible de le métamorphoser en console de jeux pour le salon, en déplacement, ..

Ça va même plus loin, les développeurs de Riptide 3D ont déjà rendu leur jeu de jet-ski compatible, et ça va suivre avec ShadowGun. A la vitesse où l’on va, il n’est pas difficile de constater que les appareils mobiles viendront rapidement à se transformer en consoles de jeux next-gen. Et avec tous les constructeurs qui partagent leurs conceptions et évolutions technologiques, il est fort à parier que le changement est proche et sera certainement adopté par beaucoup.

Via Droid Gamer

Uncharted 3 review

(author unknown) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:52:32 PDT

Shared by channie
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is simply the best PS3-exclusive on the market and one of the finest adventure games ever made.

No other game has halted productivity at the office quite like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Upon learning the game was idling on a debug PS3 in our demo room, a handful of employees jumped out of their seat to watch the game in action.

There's a reason for that. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception combines the best single-player campaign in the series, with refined competitive multiplayer, and a story-driven co-op mode that ties up some loose ends from the second game in the franchise. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is simply the best PS3-exclusive on the market and one of the finest adventure games ever made.

Uncharted 3

It becomes obvious within the first three chapters of Uncharted 3 that we really don't know much about our heroes, save for their names and proclivity for quick wit. Uncharted 3 is a story about a hidden city buried deep within the sands of the Rub' al Khali, but it also focuses on the story of Nathan Drake. For so long we've understood the decedent of Sir Francis Drake to be driven by the secrets of his family, but questions about his beginnings were left unanswered: until now. Uncharted 3 delves deep into the history of Nathan Drake and his relationship with his friends and family.

Writer Amy Hennig delivers once again with another exciting script, wonderfully executed by Nolan North and the entire cast. Characters aren't key to the success of the Uncharted series, but they are certainly what brings fans back to the series. Very few games can have me laughing out loud in one moment and on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen next minutes later; Uncharted 3 has that ability.

The story of Uncharted 3 takes players across beautiful vistas as Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan, and a few more familiar faces venture off in search of a hidden city that Sir Francis Drake and T.E. Lawrence were once on the hunt to find. On their tail is the vicious Katherine Marlowe who believes the discovery is rightfully hers, for reasons too "spoilery" to mention.

Drake's Deception will take Nathan all around the world...

Uncharted 3 ramps up the action by throwing harder battles into the mix. On Normal difficulty there were a few spots where I had a tough time navigating the waves of varying enemy types. The game does a good job of balancing adversaries, throwing larger and more difficult baddies in my way to keep me moving. In larger battles, staying behind a specific piece of cover rarely worked.

Naughty Dog's mage-like development team has been able to extract every bit of power available to them and present a world that doesn't only look astounding in a graphical sense, but beautiful artistically. Controls felt as precise as Uncharted 2; but, gunplay felt slightly more impactful. I can't tell if it was the difficulty setting (as I would typically play the game on harder settings, personally) or if the shooting was refined, but there were no complaints about its responsiveness and feedback.

It's difficult to pinpoint highlights of the game without either gushing all over it or spoiling its sequences. Some of the best moments have been shown off in trailers, including an entire chapter that takes place on a plane that is slowly crumbling around you. Sequences you'd expect to be reserved for cutscenes are instead here in playable form, like when Drake soars through the air after being sucked out of a cargo aircraft at a few thousands miles in the air. When I played the sequence I was all smiles, eager to go back and do it again because it was so exciting to watch. When I showed it to the people in the office, the crowded room was stunned silent.

...and to some places already Charted

Co-op gameplay allowed three players to play a five-chapter story as a handful of characters in the Uncharted universe. The story in the co-op is an extension of the main game's adventure, but I recommend you play the single-player first, because it reuses locations and it might spoil some surprises. Co-op also ties up some loose ends from Uncharted 2, bringing back key characters to have Drake and Co. face off against. I won't spend any time discussing competitive multiplayer because it's available for you to play right now via a promotion between Sony and Subway. I will say, however, that I'm constantly surprised at how much I enjoy playing multiplayer in Uncharted--especially since its development worried me initially when Naughty Dog announced they were adding it to Uncharted 2. I really enjoy it, and except for some silly Perk-like "Kickbacks," it's something I really enjoyed spending time with.

As much as I'd like to detail every moment the game wowed me, I wouldn't dare ruin any surprises for fans of the series. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is an amalgamation of great ideas crafted and refined by developer Naughty Dog. It may be one of the best new franchises given to gamers this generation: with a combination of great gameplay, fantastic characters, and exciting stories, but that's a question PlayStation 3 owners will have to answer for themselves. After eight and a half hours of the game's single-player, and hours with the co-op and competitive multiplayer, there is little question in my mind: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a fantastic experience and a game you simply must play.

The Art of «Desktop Heroes»: Level Design Suite

(author unknown) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:44:49 PDT

Steve Jobs n’aimait pas Android

(author unknown) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:10:01 PDT

Shared by channie
Competition made healthy...

La biographie autorisée de Steve Jobs sera en vente le 2 novembre prochain, un livre très attendu qui a déjà battu les records des pré-commandes sur Amazon.

Voici un passage où Steve Jobs explique ce qu’il pensait d’Android :

Jusqu’à mon dernier souffle, j’utiliserai chaque centime des 40 milliards de dollars d’Apple pour réparer cette injustice (à propos d’Android ), a déclaré Steve Jobs. Je vais détruire Android, parce que c’est un produit volé. « J’irai jusqu’à la guerre thermonucléaire s’il le faut.

Il a en autres déclaré en face à face avec Eric Schmidt (ancien CEO de Google) :

Je ne veux pas de votre argent. Si vous m’offrez 5 milliards de dollars, j’en veux pas. J’ai plein d’argent. Je veux que vous arrêtiez d’utiliser nos idées dans Android, c’est tout ce que je veux.

On s’en doutait bien, surtout avec la « Patent War » qui sévit depuis plusieurs mois, dont il a été l’initiateur devant les tribunaux. Steve Jobs n’était pas tendre, avec Google mais également avec Microsoft.

Je vous laisse découvrir ce que Steve Jobs a dit sur Bill Gates sur le blog de Korben. Cela n’empêche que nous l’aimons toujours.

Mustapha Bismi RT @bjoernknafla: RT @clodericmars The new version of my "Group navigation state-of-the-art report" is on Scribd http://t.co/vbiWi0cf #navigation #ai

(author unknown) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:18:09 PDT

Mustapha Bismi RT @bjoernknafla: RT @clodericmars The new version of my "Group navigation state-of-the-art report" is on Scribd http://t.co/vbiWi0cf #navigation #ai

BU Landmark Complex / Architects 49

Megan Jett — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:30:17 PDT

Courtesy of Architects 49

Architects: Architects 49
Location: Rangsit, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Client: Bangkok University
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 26,000 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of Architects 49

Structural Engineer: Architectural Engineering 49
System Engineer: M&E Engineering 49
Interior Architect: Interior Architects 49
Landscape Architect: Landscape Architects 49
Lighting Consultant: Lighting Design Consultants 49
Construction Management: KCS
Contractor: Thai Obayashi

The Bangkok University Landmark Complex is initiated on the necessities that are to reorganize the frontal area of the campus and to create an outstanding approach for the campus’s entrance. In addition to the mentioned requirements, the School of Business Management also required some supplementary facilities, for example, classrooms, seminar rooms, lecturers’ office, lecture halls. Then, the new complex is emerged from the particular architectural form evoking the symbol of the university, a diamond.

Courtesy of Architects 49

Section

A group of buildings as a “Landmark” is a fundamental concept of the project. The created architectural form is evocative of the presence of the university, its symbol and also allows students and visitors approach the campus easily. The concept of a learning space, in which students search for refining themselves through learning process – in order to obtain knowledge and become qualified human resources – can be illustrated by analogy with a lapidary process. In common with a learning process, a lapidarian gradually transforms a stone into the precious diamond through cutting and polishing elaboration. Thus, the concept coincides precisely with the university’s vision that aims to be “Creative University”.

Floor Plan

The site planning considers the campus’s traffic system and provides two additional gates in order to facilitate the traffic flow efficiently. The landscape design plays a role of bringing the complex become more outstanding. The pond is placed in the front of the building group so it creates a reflecting effect of the building forms. Moreover, it also serves as a natural barrier as well as the campus’s reservoir.

Courtesy of Architects 49

Principally, the design considers visual and functional continuity between the front area and the rear of the campus so the entire campus is inextricably intertwined.

Courtesy of Architects 49

Text provided by Architects 49

BU Landmark Complex / Architects 49 originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 20 Oct 2011.

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Rage Environments Art Dump – Phillip Bailey

Mateusz Piaskiewicz — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:42:10 PDT

Phillip Bailey posted on Polycount lots of screenshots of his work from Rage.

Visit Polycount Art Dump thread for more screenshots and information.

Richard Malinar’s UDK Scene – Work in Progress

Mateusz Piaskiewicz — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:21:18 PDT

Richard Malinar started a new UDK scene. Right now he's preparing the meshes, later we'll see some composition and lightning work.

Check out a progress thread on MapCore.

Location #1512

(author unknown) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:16:10 PDT

Shared by channie
FUCK YEAH DEMENTIAL!

Roller Coaster somewhere

Location #1508

(author unknown) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:23:10 PDT

Somewhere in Germany, but where?

Nokia Gives $250,000 "Innovators" Prize To A Puzz Loop Clone

(author unknown) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:35:30 PDT

Shared by channie
Ahah bravo Nokia !

The word "innovation" has officially lost all meaning, as Nokia has named the mobile puzzler Sparkle the winner of its "Calling All Innovators" contest, awarding producer 10tons a cash prize of $250,000.

Nokia describes Sparkle's inspired gameplay: "You control a circular orb launcher that when pressed fires colored orbs. As you do this, a chain of identical-but-random orbs will be flowing around a track. [...] In order to stop this, your [sic] fire your colored orbs at the matching colored orbs on the track. Match three or more of the same color and you'll make them vanish [...]"

Sparkle's innovative color-matching, stuff-disappearing gameplay is copied from Mitchell's 1998 arcade game Puzz Loop, which itself has been cloned many, many times since in games like Zuma and Luxor. Even in an age where cloned concepts like Angry Birds and Tiny Wings are top sellers, calling the creator of a Puzz Loop clone an "innovator" is beyond absurd.

To add further insult, Sparkle isn't even a new game -- it was originally published for PC platforms in 2007, with the mobile port being a recent development. I wonder how much of the prize money 10tons plans to split with Mitchell?

[via @Capy_Nathan]

Copinage : Console Magazine ou la version papier de Barre de Vie

Zaza le Nounours — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:41:50 PDT

Après avoir bouleversé en à peine quelques mois le monde du journalisme vidéoludique en ligne tel que nous le connaissions, Netsabes et Pipomantis, les deux papas de Barre de Vie, s'attaquent maintena...

Introversion Blog :: The Next Game

(author unknown) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:58:56 PDT

Shared by channie
Argh.

The Next Game

We’ve been quiet for a long time. We’d gone dark while we worked things out. That time is now at an end, and we have a couple of bombshells to drop.

A few hours ago I submitted Introversion’s latest game to the IGF 2012.

This game was NOT Subversion.
Click here to read more