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Epic Games Launches Free Unreal Development Kit

Ryan Whitwam — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:04:24 -0600

The Unreal Engine 3 has been at the heart of several of the biggest games of the last few years. Titles include Gears of War, Bioshock, and Borderlands. Now Epic Games is announcing the release of a free non-commercial version of the Unreal Development Kit, powered by Unreal 3.

The dev kit is available for download right this very minute at the official site. This isn’t some stripped down version of the engine either. According to Epic, “UDK contains all the most recently added features and technological enhancements, including many that have yet to be seen in an Unreal Engine game. Furthermore, Epic Games will release ongoing, upgraded builds of UDK for free.”

The UDK can be used to create mods for existing games, as well as standalone products. San Diego based Psyonix Studios used the UDK to create a proof of concept game in two months with only two individuals. The game is called Whizzle, and it’s actually pretty neat for what is essentially a tech demo. It’s always nice to see companies giving something away for free.

Epic: Unreal Tournament On-Hold for “Several Years”

Nathan Grayson — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:35:13 -0500

For Unreal Tournament, the third time wasn’t quite a charm. So after the less-than-amazing Unreal Tournament 3, Epic has decided to give its old dog a break, instead hoping to teach some new tricks to its more youthful franchises. So said Epic Games co-founder Tim Sweeney, speaking with G4.

“Unreal Tournament is certainly a major long-term priority but we’re planning not to release a major retail game in the series for several years. So we have that effort somewhat on hold while we work on a few other initiatives,” he explained.

He also added, however, that the Unreal Tournament community produces so much content on its own that “we almost solve the Unreal Tournament 4 and 5 problem ourselves by just making this toolset available.”

Don’t let the series gather space dust for too long, though, Epic. In “several years,” intergalactic battles fought over respawn machines that are somehow powered by flags won’t seem so far-fetched.

Actually, no. That plot will always be ridiculous. Forever. Take all the time you need, Epic.

Privacy Group Calls on FTC to Kill Google Docs

Paul Lilly — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:30:27 -0500

Earlier this month, Google blamed a bug for causing an "isolated incident" which resulted in some users of Google Docs having their word-processing and presentation documents inadvertently shared. According to Google, the mishap only affected 0.05 percent of documents stored at the site, but that's enough to have privacy advocates turning to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to shut down all of Google's online services until government-approved "safeguards are verifiably established."

"If we were talking about a child safety seat that could not be securely attached to a car passenger seat, the commission in that instance would say to the company, 'Look, you've got to fix that problem,'" Marc Rotenberg, a lawyer and adjunct law professor, said in a telephone interview with CNet on Tuesday. "Consumers are at risk when that product is in the marketplace. We have a similar view of cloud computing at this point: people are at risk."

Leading the charge is the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), who submitted a letter to the FTC asking that all Google cloud-computing services be halted, including Gmail. In addition to shutting everything down, EPIC also wants Google to pay $5 million into a "public fund" to benefit advocacy groups.

Is EPIC asking for too much? And equally important, can you manage without Gmail?

W-A-S-D: DRM Or No Game At All? Pick Your Poison

Nathan Grayson — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:43:47 -0500

So, Gears of War 2 isn't coming to the PC. Ever. Straight from Lead Game Designer CliffyB:

"Here's the problem right now; the person who is savvy enough to want to have a good PC to upgrade their video card, is a person who is savvy enough to know Bittorrent to know all the elements so they can pirate software. Therefore, high-end videogames are suffering very much on the PC."

"Right now, it makes sense for us to focus on Xbox 360 for a number of reasons. Not least PCs with multiple configurations and piracy."

And finally, when questioned about a PC port for our jump-suit clad selves of the future:

"No."

But along with giving me one extra reason to cry myself to sleep at night -- as well as driving a nice, fat stake into GFW's termite-infested coffin -- Bleszinski's comments raise an interesting question: What's worse? Tearing open a game box only to find the sour scent of DRM sulking its way into your nostrils, or never being given the chance to purchase (or "rent," for the more bitter among you) a game at all?

After all, PC gaming's most vocal masses thrust their picket signs toward the sky by not purchasing or playing DRM-ridden games. And, for many, DRM taints the gaming experience to which it's attached anyway, so why play something that only serves to send an army of cracks riveting through your dam on upsetting emotions? It would seem, then, that Gears of War 2's non-presence on the PC is akin keeping one's yap shut during a heated argument. No positive opinion, but nothing negative either.

Before I plunge into the meat of this argument, though, a quick review. Why do we hate DRM? Primarily, for two reasons: 1) It chains us to a slab of restrictions that could have ramifications on down the line. For instance, what happens if a publisher's bank account flatlines, and it's forced to finally push the big red, oh-so-tempting self-destruct button on its authentication servers? 2) DRM's existence is based on the assumption that we (presumably honest customers) are larcenous scoundrels who pilfer and subsequently abuse any product we happen to snatch from Bittorrent's illicit shelves. Guilty until proven innocent, etc.

Really though, after digging a few files out of your brain's "Common Sense" folder, it becomes apparent that most of the current ire over DRM stems from the second reason -- simply because those of us who are tech-savvy enough to even get a tiny vein throbbing in our foreheads over DRM are also tech-savvy enough to download a DRM crack with little to no hassle.

And so, Gears of War 2's plan to ~~begin~~ ~~finish~~ continue the fight only on Microsoft's curvaceous, big-in-Japan console is like the less relentlessly-hammered-into-our-minds portion of Minority Report. The part where people are tossed in the slammer (and also shaved bald, for some reason) with no margin for innocence -- where "guilty until proven innocent" is twisted into an instant and irrevocable lifetime sentence.

With Sp...the "S" word -- not to mention BioShock -- at least we were given a choice of whether or not to plunk our money down on a game. On top of that, EA and 2K's intentions were, while certainly money-driven, on some level, good. With Gears 2, however, Epic is raking its thumb across its neck -- damning us with no chance for a retrial.

We aren't even worthy of DRM.

And that, my friends, is one hell of a burn.

Gaming Roundup 9/02/08: Daika-Haha

Nathan Grayson — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:40:00 -0500

As sunlight glinted off a grenade reaching the zenith of its soldier-bound arc, I could only wonder what my hapless opponent was thinking. See, the man was rooted -- as though entangled in nearby bushes -- to his position. There had to be a reason. Maybe he was a mathematician without peer; he'd done the calculations and no matter how fast he ran, he'd soon be engulfed by my ordinance's cantaloupe-colored splash. Or maybe his path in life had been bordered by four leaf clovers -- his luck so great, he was certain the grenade would be a dud. Maybe he just couldn't take life anymore. But then all of that ceased to matter.

As I continued my stroll through the brightly colored playground of destruction, I noticed that other soldiers were, all told, pretty okay with Havok-powered, life-halting flights.

Yeah, my enemies were walking vegetables. The only damage I accrued was a sinking sense of utter disappointment. Mercenaries 2, after its top-notch predecessor, labored development cycle, and catchy commercial jingle, was a big, fat letdown.

So, have you ever surfed a game's hype wave, only to reach a completely non-descript shore? What's your biggest gaming letdown? What game had you brimming with excitement, but only left you shuddering with rage? (And don't say Daikatana, because that's a cop-out.)

Today's Roundup is reporting live from outside a dark, ominous cloud that's recently enveloped one of the decade's biggest upcoming games. Additionally, you'll find stories about the MMO market's failings, a dev whose unmentionables you'll want to boot, and the Xbox 360's upper limits. All that and more after the break.

PC Games gives Spore 73%, talk of release date online embargo emerges

Ruh-roh, will this be Will Wright's Star Wars: Episode One? Here's the tale of the tape:

For:

    * The Creature Creator
    * Great animation
    * Endless Content through downloads
    * Tons of community features

Against:

    * No real depth until the fifth stage
    * Uneasy mix of simulation and strategy
    * It’s easier to wage war than to be diplomatic
    * No “one more go” aspect

Apparently, this review -- as well as another by German mag Gamestar (79/100) -- broke the European embargo, which is set to expire on Friday.

Frankly, though, I don't think review scores will even make a scratch in Spore's amorphous, vaguely phallic armor. Sims fans will likely forgo playing the game altogether, and simply grind up the disc and freebase its shards, while other gamers will give it a shot out of curiosity. In short, EA won't let Spore flounder -- or rather, they've already succeeded in that pursuit.

And really, I'm not sure if a review score can do justice to a game like Spore. The question, then, is whether or not the game remains fun in spite of its flaws. And, for those flaws, Dr. EA has already prescribed a heavy dosage of expansion packs. So don't count Spore out just yet. Or ever, really.

Mythic VP Explains What Went Wrong With Hellgate, Why He Wanted Age of Conan To Succeed

“At some level I wanted Conan to succeed because for the last few years people have been saying it’s all Blizzard and nobody else can do it,” Mythic VP Mark Jacobs said. “‘Only Blizzard can get those kind of numbers,’ and so far they’ve been right. But now it’s our turn.”

“If we don’t succeed with EA behind us, the Warhammer IP behind us, with one of the most experienced teams in the industry, that’s not going to be good for the industry. We need to show the world that it’s not just Blizzard who can make a great game, and that the audience is absolutely willing to try new things and to play a game other than WoW.”

Obviously, the MMO market -- which is quickly om-nom-nom-ing a decent portion of PC gaming -- is somewhat of an enigma. You can't topple WoW by being different, but neither can you zip to the top by imitating Blizzard's 10 million-armed monster.

So, with that said, what do you want out of an MMO? Given a position of power on the S.S. MM-Oh-No, what would you do to sink WoW?

Blizzard: WoW success kind of interesting, mostly “exhausting”

“So it’s great, it’s a great problem to have,” Blizzard senior VP Frank Pearce said of WoW's obscure niche in the MMO market, “but it is a lot of work. We’ve learned a lot, made a lot of mistakes along the way. It’s been good experience for us, I wouldn’t say that we’ve regretted it… but ‘interesting’ isn’t how we’d describe it necessarily.”

Cool guy. Really down-to-earth and totally normal just like us. Money changes people? Feh.

Capcom Confirms Resident Evil 5 Controls Change

"Mooooo" is the sound that a cow makes. "Baaaaah" is the sound that a sheep makes. And "clunk, clunk, clunk" is the sound that Resident Evil's control scheme causes you to make while you bang your head against the wall.

The new control scheme is said to be "Gears-like" and will probably debut at the Tokyo Game Show.

Epic's Fergusson: Xbox 360 'Approaching Upper End' Of Visual Potential

"I think it's just a matter of, you know, it's a slow cycle; you only get a kick at it every couple years, and so it takes a while for people to see that progress," said Gears of War 2 franchise senior producer Rod Fergusson.

So devs are getting close, but it'll be a while before they reach the top.

Check out Spore creations made by semi-famous people

Katy Perry and Andrew WK? I'd have only taken one!

Gaming Roundup 8/19/08: For the PC Gaming Alliance!

Nathan Grayson — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:52:57 -0500

With the Internet's collective knowledge at our fingertips, we generally know what we're in for when we purchase a game; even when reviews steer us wrong, exhaustively in-depth 75-page forum threads usually give us at least something to go on. But at some point or another, we've all found our more rational sides obscured, and due to a low, low price tag that just screams "Buy me," a movie license that would make a totally rad game, or what have you, we've retched up an all-too-clear "This game sucks."

So, what's the worst game you've ever played? What factor intoxicated your poor brain into giving the game a shot? Was it a friend's recommendation? A movie/comic book/TV show license? A kindhearted, but woefully uninformed birthday gift?

Well take some solace in the fact that today's Roundup won't steer you wrong. Between quantifiable proof that digital distribution is the future, Crysis' surprising success, and one man's dirge for console gaming, the Roundup tells it like it is. See it all after the break.

Epic and Crytek Expect Xbox 720, PS4 in 2012; WildTangent CEO Declares Consoles Dead

"There's not going to be an Xbox 720 or a PS4, I'll make that bet, not going to happen," WildTangent CEO Alex St. John told UK newspaper Telegraph. "The era of consoles defined by graphics and high-production values is over."

St. John went on to say that console gaming's unique advantages are now obsolete. Sure, they prevent piracy, but with online-centric games like WoW now hogging the top-ten PC sales charts, consoles aren't the only way to thwart the eye-patched menace.

Epic and Crytek, meanwhile, didn't get the memo. Both project that the next batch of consoles will be sitting pretty in our living rooms right around the time the two developers launch their new engines. Convenient, no?

That's not to say that St. John doesn't also have a personal stake in this. His company's Orb storefront is another avenue into the future that he could certainly see the industry taking -- PC only, of course.

Where do you think the industry is headed?

PC Gaming 'Far Stronger Than Anyone Has Reported,' Digital Distribution Neared $2 Billion in 2007

Well, whatever you said, you were wrong. Unless you answered "digital distribution," in which case, good job! According to a report by the PC Gaming Alliance, PC gaming raked in a total of $10.7 billion in 2007, with a whopping $2 billion coming from digital distribution.

But our side of the pond can't take all of the credit -- or even a majority of it. That honor goes to Asia, which "accounted for almost half of the total worldwide sales."

Even so, winning is winning, and as DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole said, "By pioneering new business models, the PC has quietly remained the single leading platform for games, not only in terms of consumer usage, but revenue generation."

Looks like it's all martinis and beautiful women* from here on.

Despite piracy, Crysis was still profitable

Seems that gamers with $5,000 rigs decided that another $50 wasn't too unreasonable, because Crysis managed to turn a profit.

During a speech at the Games Convention Developers Conference in Leipzig, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli confirmed the news, saying, "if it wasn't profitable I wouldn't be able to stand here."

Pretty nice for a game whose development apparently drained $22 million from Crytek.

Dyack Banned from NeoGAF, 'the Worst Forum Out There'

Ealier today, Denis Dyack slung the penultimate volley in his war of words with gaming forum NeoGAF: "NeoGAF is considered to be the worst, and I would say is probably the worst forum. And so, you might as well pick the worst one. Why not? So, that was the idea of that," he told Videogaming247.

The final volley? All NeoGAF. The moderators, exercising the full extent of their powers, banned Dyack's forum account. Yeah, that'll show him.

Of course, not banning him would've had roughly the same effect.

Music Video Games Account for 32% of Industry Growth in '08

Rock Revolution? It's only the beginning of a healthy flow of GH/RB knock-offs. Music games are, er, booming -- having thus far been responsible for 32% of the gaming industry's growth this year.

Team Fortress 2 Video: Meet the Sandvich

Nom, nom, nom.

*Bring your own

Gaming Roundup 7/24/08: Tomorrow's Just a Delay Away

Nathan Grayson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:59:37 -0500

The gaming industry is, currently, on the forefront of media. There's nothing else like it -- nothing else endowed with its far-reaching potential. Gaming is the future, so I guess it makes sense that gamers' gazes are aimed unflinchingly forward, never braking for the past -- or even the present. Our news always involves what's "Coming this holiday season" and our real-life heroes, when not piecing together the latest triple-A titles, rack their brains over how tomorrow's games will work. Why can't we stop for a breather every once in a while?

But no, our breakneck pace continues today. We'll rest when we're dead or when we practice what we preach. Into the crystal ball I've gazed, and I've seen things, man -- things like Unreal Engine 4, PC gaming's death, and, ack, Cammie Dunaway! Consider this crystal ball retired!

Epic's Capps: Unreal Engine 4 Due For 'Next Console Generation'

"We've got Unreal [Engine] 4 in production right now," Epic President Mike Capps said at a Gamefest panel. "It's going to be in the next console generation - our rough guess is 2012 [to] 2018."

But that's merely the gristle of this meaty story. Capps continued:

"Version 4 will exclusively target the next console generation, Microsoft's successor for the Xbox 360, Sony's successor for the Playstation 3 - and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also. PCs will follow after that."

In Epic's eyes, the PC is a square, old third-wheel -- no longer cool enough to stand on equal footing with the youngsters Microsoft and Sony are popping out. Will the next-next gen be a console exclusive?

Parks: More Free Games Needed To Grow MMORPG Market

A recent study conducted by Parks Associates found that most "leisure gamers" would rather play free MMOs based around microtransactions than bite the bullet and subscribe. A whopping 14% would actually drop their issues of People Magazine and pick up an MMO if it were free, whereas only 2% would do the same for a subscription-based MMO.

I can see where they're coming from, too. Why spend $15 per month on something that, in all likelihood, you might mess around with on the weekends while slipping in and out of post-work week comas? Plus, microtransactions provide an easy method of getting ahead in the game world. Pay $3 for new armor and watch your friends don their green hauberks of unquenchable envy. Sounds better than slaughtering 300 boars, doesn't it?

Nintendo's Dunaway: No more surprises from Nintendo this year

"You have seen the extent of Nintendo's 2008 holiday lineup."

With that one line, Cammie Dunaway pierced straight through the hearts of millions of Nintendo fans. Sure, it smarts, but Nintendo isn't hurting in the slightest. With Wii Music and Wii Sports Resort, I think they'll pull through. And then Mario and Zelda will rush in and save the day in 2009.

Really though, is this holiday season so awful for Nintendo fans? Look at the Gamecube's lineup around this same time period in its life cycle. Comparatively, I'd say the Wii's stash of top-tier titles is much larger than its stout, purple counterpart's. Sure, this holiday season will be a lull, but it's always darkest before dawn, right?

Splinter Cell: Conviction officially delayed

This is starting to look fishy. It's fairly obvious that Ubisoft decided Sam Fisher's latest outing was doin' it wrong, but what changes are they making? Is the game in for a total re-tooling? With its release date now set between April 1, 2009 and March 30, 2010, signs point to yes.

WoW gets another levelling boost

How can you say no to this? First Blizzard greases up leveling through the Stranglethorn doldrums, and now they're making sure players will blaze through the Burning Crusade. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay strong for much longer. You know, I have this rogue, right...

Newell: “Go Ask Blizzard if PC Gaming is Dead”

I don't need to, because I already know what he'll say. "Yes!" No! PC gaming is dead! The sky is falling! AIIIEEEE! DOOOOOOOMED!

Gaming Roundup 7/8/08: Brrr...There's an Actiblizzard Blowing In

Nathan Grayson — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:15:27 -0500

"Action-packed!" "A wild ride." "Nearly as exhilarating as the video game industry!" Ah, who am I kidding? The first two don't even come close to matching the third, and today serves as a large, billowing banner for that fact. We've got mergers, buyouts, children, slavery, drugs, and even CliffyB! If every day were this exciting, action movies would be out of a job. Now click that "Read More" link; you know you want to.

Fallout 3 to feature “slavery, children, drugs and addiction”

Video games are the new rock 'n' roll? Hah! Fallout 3 is, on the controversy scale, a comic book about rock 'n' roll that chronicles the adventures of a bumbling, but well-meaning Nazi. Kidding aside, though, Fallout 3 looks to cover some interesting ground. But don't get too excited about the chance to revel in filth; child-killing and nudity will both be calling in absent. Check out the rest of the interview, though, because that's far from all. It explores Fallout 3 from all angles -- from character creation to being able to conquer the whole game unarmed.

Id’s Hollenshead says tech advancement is key

High-end gaming's stalwart supporters number few these days, but they're certainly not tight-lipped about their position. id Software's Todd Hollenshead essentially said that he believes it won't be long before casual gaming's vice-grip on the industry shatters. "[Gaming is] a technology-driven industry, and I think people who say it’s not a technology-driven industry don’t know what industry that they’re in, and they probably won’t be here for very long," he said. Hollenshead's words may be wrong, but his heart's in the right place. As long as developers like id exist in the gaming industry, hardcore gaming isn't going anywhere. Of course, neither is casual gaming, but as long as both sides have ardent supporters, neither will crumble.

CliffyB: Fewer buttons on next Xbox pad, please

CliffyB knows his controllers. Apparently, he also knows his alien spaceships, as that's what he says the Xbox 360 pad most resembles. His solution? Remove all of the escape pods or buttons or whatever. Now, I don't know about you, but I rather like our current controllers. How about we just agree to not add any more buttons? Also, Cliff uses Mario Galaxy and Zack & Wiki (both on the Wii) as examples of a controller feature (waggle) replacing button-presses. Well, if the feature works so well, why can't Cliffy list any other stand-out examples?