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Call of Duty: World at War

Norman Chan — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:00:00 -0600

The odds have always been stacked against Call of Duty: World at War. This sequel revisits an undeniably exhausted FPS setting—World War II—and wasn’t designed by series creator Infinity Ward, but Treyarch has delivered a sufficiently compelling shooter. World at War doesn’t bring any lasting innovations to the FPS genre, but it has enough unrelenting shootouts and dramatically scripted events to keep us immersed in the action.

Like Call of Duty 4, the seven-hour single-player campaign is split between two parallel plotlines, each showing a different theater of war. Wading through the swamps and jungles of the South Pacific to rescue POWs and raid airfields in one campaign is very different from sneaking through the ruins of Stalingrad to stalk Nazi generals. Though these battlefields feel a little too familiar, the missions are filled with enough gritty and explosive set pieces to keep us distracted from the feeling of déjà vu.

Just don’t expect much resistance from the AI enemies. Your foes are easily dispatched and don’t react realistically in combat; the concept of suppressing fire, for example, is nonexistent. Waves of enemy grunts will perform kamikaze rushes or snipe you from trees, but their behavior feels like that of theme park automatons (albeit with bayonets). Still, the large-scale firefights are varied enough to be memorable.

Cooperative multiplayer with three other players is the best way to play through the campaign, though the competitive co-op mode wasn’t as fun since players don’t have much incentive to help each other. We also couldn’t warm up to the new vehicle maps or the new set of multiplayer in-game perks. An unlockable Zombie game mode is a pleasant surprise, but it won’t take the place of Left 4 Dead.

Call of Duty: World at War doesn’t disappoint us, but it never matches the riveting excitement of Call of Duty 4. It’s worth your gaming dollar if you like first-person shooters; just remember to manage your expectations.

How To: Run Windows Games on Linux

Jean-Paul Connock — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0600

Tired of the lackluster gaming opportunities on your alternative OS? Playing your favorite PC titles in Linux is easier than you think!

Time: 37 Min

What You Need

GNU/Linux installation with recent kernel (2.6x)
Free, www.ubuntu.com
Wine
Free, installed via Linux or winehq.org
A PC game

It’s OK, Linux users. We understand your pain. Gaming on your open-source platform is, for the most part, restricted to similarly open-source or freeware titles from independent developers. You don’t often receive the same love that Windows users enjoy from triple-A game developers. But your time spent in the dark can now end: We’re going to show you how to play the latest PC-only titles on your Linux distribution of choice.

We’re using a program called Wine to simplify the process of running Windows-based games on a Linux platform. Unlike virtualization applications such as VMware, Wine is not an emulator. An emulator is a wrapper that allows one operating system to run within another. This wrapper hides the primary OS from its windowed love child, creating a software bubble for the second OS to play in. Since emulators run a complete OS within this virtualized bubble, the performance hit can be staggering and hinders gaming on all but the most powerful PCs.

Wine avoids this problem by implementing a set of routines (or APIs) used by applications to communicate with Windows. Rather than emulate them, Wine uses a compatibility layer that translates system calls from Windows to Linux and vice versa. If you’re still confused, relax. You don’t need to understand how it works. You just need to know that Wine is free and easy to configure and will have you up and gaming in no time!

1. Install Wine the Easy Way

Installing new software for Linux has become much easier since the advent of package management software. If you’re using a modern Linux distribution, you’ve probably utilized some kind of package manager. The most common are Synaptic/Aptitude (used by Debian and Ubuntu), Portage (Gentoo), and RPM (RedHat).

A software package comes bundled with the necessary software dependencies required by the application. Since these dependencies often overlap between applications, a package manager will ensure that your system installs only the dependencies that are missing. If you already have what you need, the package manager links the dependencies that have previously been installed to the new application.

Installing Wine on a package-managed system is as easy as telling the package manager to go ahead and install the program. One quick preface: All of our instructions are based on our experience with Ubuntu. Your Linux variety may vary, but the overall gist of our instructions should remain the same.

To get Wine onto your system, first launch the Synaptic Package Manager by opening the Applications menu on the title bar at the top of your screen and clicking Add/Remove. Click the Binocular icon and type wine , but be sure to select the “Show All Available Applications” option before you commence your search. As you can see in the above screenshot, your results will include an application called Wine, version 1.0.0.

Finish the job by clicking on the box to the left of Wine to select it and then click the green check mark labeled Apply. Confirm the installation of any additional packages to ensure that your installation doesn’t choke when it fails to find its dependencies.

2. Configure Wine’s Graphics and Audio

Open a terminal window in Ubuntu and type winecfg to launch Wine’s configuration screen. Start by clicking the Drives tab and set Wine to autodetect your drives, as shown in the upper image. The application will create a file structure that mimics Windows: It will establish your base directory as a C:\ drive and map your optical drive to D:\.

Next, click the Graphics tab to adjust your DirectX settings. We recommend using the settings displayed in the lower image: Check only the second and fourth options under Window Settings. The last option is especially critical, as it’ll make your Wine games stay windowed. That way, if your game crashes, you’ll still have access to your Linux desktop. Don’t forget to set your gaming resolution: You’ll do that underneath the Emulate a Virtual Desktop option.

Finally, click the Audio tab and then click the Test Sound button. If you can’t hear anything coming from your speakers by default, select each of the provided drivers—one at a time—until you have sound. It’s a crude solution, but it will take the least amount of time to get your speakers rockin’.

3. Check Game Compatibility

Before you rush to your local game store and spend the hard-earned money you saved by using a free operating system instead of Windows, read this step. It’s mission critical.

Linux comes in many varieties. Because of this, certain games tend to run better on certain distributions. And more often than not, specific titles will flat-out not work with the specific distribution—or any distribution—you’re running.
You should know a title’s compatibility issues before you plunk down $50 for a game. For that, you can turn to Wine’s official application database at appdb.winehq.org. This giant user-driven database provides ratings of and recommendations for running more than 10,000 applications and games in Wine.

The games and applications are broken down into specific test results, which the site presents based on combinations of tested distributions and Wine versions. Each listed entry tells you whether the program was able to either run or install correctly and assigns an overall usability rating to the experience.

Even if your game of choice appears to be broken on all Linux varieties, be sure to read the user comments appended at the bottom of each game’s results page. You might discover information about a new workaround or patch that has yet to be reflected in the game’s overall ratings.

4. Install your game

The installation process for applications under Wine is generally the same as it is in Windows because Wine uses the same installer. We’re going to focus on installing our game of choice, Sins of a Solar Empire, but you can use the same process to install a variety of other titles. Start by opening a Linux terminal and typing winefile. This pulls up the application’s Windows Explorer-like interface.

Navigate to your optical device by clicking the appropriate icon at the top of the window—it should look like a CD going into a drive. From there, double-click your game’s installation file (setup.exe, for example) and let the installer do its thing.
Follow the instructions as you would for any game being installed in Windows but pay attention to any errors or glitches that you see. Chances are good that you’ll notice fonts sizes are off and, in some cases, the fonts won’t display at all. We’ll come back to that later.

Once you’ve installed the game, you’ll want to make it easy to launch. You can do this by finding the executable file and linking it to a launcher—the Linux version of a Windows shortcut. By default, Wine hides its fake Windows partition in your
/home/[user name] directory. So you’ll want to right-click your Linux desktop and select the Launcher creation option. Name the Launcher whatever you want, but start the command as follows: wine “/home/[user name]/.wine/drive_c/”. After the “drive_c” section, type out the path where you installed your program.

If you can’t get a launcher to work, don’t worry. Some games end up working only by double-clicking the executable within the Winefile application.

5. Troubleshooting

Although we’ve been able to install and run Microsoft Office, Guild Wars, and NHL 08 without any problems, Sins of a Solar Empire was trickier. This gives us a perfect transition to Wine’s biggest headache: troubleshooting.

In our case, the fonts for our game were the wrong size and, in some cases, completely nonexistent (see above). If this happens to you, there’s a quick workaround. From a Windows installation, copy the fonts out of the C:\Windows\Fonts folder. You’ll then want to launch Winefile and copy the fonts back into Wine’s simulated Windows installation, same C:\Windows\Fonts folder.

If your chosen application gives you compatibility problems, it’s time to return to the Winecfg configuration tool. If the application was developed for a specific instance of Windows, try using the Applications tab to force Wine to use a suitable compatibility layer for the program. Click Add Application, choose your executable file, and choose the appropriate version of Windows.

The configuration tool also lets you change graphics and audio options as mentioned earlier. Disabling hardware support can keep games from crashing but sacrifices game performance in doing so. When in doubt, turn settings to minimum and bring them up slowly as you attempt to troubleshoot the best configuration for your game.

6. Work in the Wine Library

When you are configuring a new application, it’s wise to launch it from a terminal until you have the kinks ironed out. Doing so allows you to read the error messages that stream down the screen as the application runs. Bear in mind that many of these messages are not errors; they are used by developers to tune Wine. This makes them useful sources of information, particularly when they spit out .dll (dynamically linked library) errors.

A dynamically linked library is a fancy term from Microsoft that refers to a library of software used by various applications. These libraries are “linked” to applications as they are needed. If this reminds you of the package-managed dependencies mentioned at the beginning of the article, hand yourself a gold star. These libraries are what Wine replaces when it runs your MS-based applications.

Sometimes, the libraries are missing or incomplete. In this case, the .dll errors mentioned earlier will give you the name of the specific files that are causing problems. Replacement .dll files can be found in your Windows install or in a regular Windows install of your application. To fix errors, you can use the Library tab in Wine’s configuration tool to replace Wine’s .dll with the authentic .dll.

Wine Vs. Cedega

Not everyone has the time or patience to wrangle Wine into submission, and TransGaming Technologies (www.transgaming.com) is hoping to bank on this fact. The company has produced a “commercial re-implementation of the Windows API for Linux with a focus on gaming.” Sound like Wine? It should. Transgaming’s product, Cedega, is based in part on the free Wine source code. Many in the open-source community view this as an outrage, but Transgaming insists it violates no licenses. For a small fee, it offers “Wine that works” with a list of games guaranteed to run with it.

Fresh Studies Establish Value of Games, Link Violent Games and Violence

Pulkit Chandna — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:18:40 -0500

Cognitive and Perceptual Skill Enhancement: A couple of psychologists at the Fordham University, namely Fran C. Blumberg and Sabrina S. Ismailer, studied problem-solving patterns among school children. The study involved 122 kids from 5th, 6th and 7th grades, who were made to play games they hadn’t confronted before. They came to the conclusion that younger kids don’t only take playing videogames as a leisurely activity like older kids and adults but also set short-term goals for problem-solving. And thus benefit greatly from video games.

Hyper-Dexterous Surgeons and Violent Gamers: It is a well known fact that gaming is used as a training exercise by top surgeons to increase precision. That enhanced precision coupled with improved dexterity has a positive impact on surgical error levels, according to a study. The research paper presented by an Iowa University psychologist duo, Douglas Gentile and William Stone, also studied high school and college kids apart from laparoscopic surgeons.

The kids that play violent games tend to be inured to the violence and prone to violent behavior, according to the research. On the other hand, the ones that play more benign games are less prone to violent.

Scientific Reasoning and Gamers: A study by two University of Wisconsin researchers, Constance Steinkuehler and Sean Duncan, took stock of scientific reasoning capabilities of World of Warcraft gamers using their discussion on WOW forums. They found that 86% of gamers shared their knowledge with each other and a 58% indeed used orderly and analytical methods in their discussions about the game. Hence proved, games also foster scientific reasoning.

Image Credit Seoul.Go.kr

Exclusive: High-Resolution Left4Dead Screenshots and Gritty Source Engine Upgrade Details

Norman Chan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:06:22 -0500

Read our interview with Zombie Master Michael Booth here!

You've read our in-depth interview with the designer of the game, but here's a chance to you to get a clear look at the awesome zombie slaughterfest in Left4Dead. Valve has given us four exclusive screenshots from its upcoming multiplayer shooter, along with a detailed briefing explaining the graphical enhancements they've made to the game engine since acquiring Turtle Rock Studios. The new post-processed filmic effects and advanced shadow rendering makes the game look like nothing you've seen before. It sure doesn't look like Half-Life 2!

Left4Dead Source Engine Details:

The infected hoard in Left4Dead are realistically animated so they anticipate and lean into turns based on the curvature of their AI navigation paths.
The physics are simulated with a blending of traditional animation and ragdoll physics. In addition to location-specific damage, shoves and gunshots are physics interactions, based on the location of impact and what the infected hits afterward.
Even if zombies are brain dead, the AI driving them is smart. The infected will climb and path-find over objects, not just around them. They'll even break down walls and doors to get to you.
Filmic effects: Color correction allows the developers to maintain a specific palette while controlling saturation and visual elements based on their importance to the player and the scene.
Film grain is enhanced in dark areas, and contrast is ramped up to sharpen areas with high visual detail. Subtle reduction of brightness at the top and sides of the screen draws your attention toward the action and increases the tension.
Self-shadowed Normal Mapping locally alters surface orientation to cause detailed lighting effects. This feature incorporates local self-shadowing information to add greater surface richness. Surfaces will react to lighting from radiosity as well as dynamic lights in the scene, like your flashlight (which cast dynamic soft-shadows in the level).

Microsoft Caves to Consumers, Frees Games for Windows

Norman Chan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:50:07 -0500

Update: More details about the announcement here, along with DirectX11 news.

Remember that old economics lesson about supply and demand? If demand for a product rises, the company producing it can raise the price to the point where the supply and demand curves intersect. But when the demand for a product is almost non-existent, the invisible hand of economics demands that price falls. In the case of Microsoft’s Games for Windows LIVE initiative, the price has now fallen to zero. Microsoft just announced today that Games for Windows LIVE will be free for all users (both Silver and Gold accounts), which is the price it should’ve been at all along. Gamertags, buddy lists, and achievements will be enabled on all accounts without an annual fee, though gamers who play on Xbox LIVE will still have to pay for that service.

Check back later today for our interview with Kevin Unangst, Senior Global Director of Games for Windows, who will reveal what other plans Microsoft has next for the GFW program.

From Microsoft:

Effective today, all Games for Windows – LIVE multiplayer features are now completely free. Achievements, enhanced TruSkill ® matchmaking, cross-platform play with XBOX 360 (in games that support it), voice and text chat, a friends list that is consistent across both Windows and XBOX 360 – everything – is now free to Windows gamers.
This change immediately affects all currently available Games for Windows – LIVE titles and all future titles.
Microsoft will also announce plans to deliver a Games for Windows – LIVE marketplace this fall, which will offer downloadable game content (free and paid, determined by the publisher), demos, trailers and more.
Microsoft is also making the Games for Windows – LIVE in-game interface much more PC friendly, and reducing the technical requirements for developers.

Legally Bound PC Gamer Finds Loophole in Contract to Play PlayStation 3

Norman Chan — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:24:27 -0500

Back when the PlayStation 3 launched in November of 2006, PC Gamer magazine tempted the gamers waiting in front of the Sony Metreon in San Francisco (the official PS3 North American launch headquarters) with a Faustian bargain (look it up). Our sister publication offered to give away a $7,500 Falcon Northwest gaming PC to one of the campers if they willingly relinquished their place in line. The catch: the unfaithful console fanboy who accepted the PC would also have to sign a legally binding contract preventing him from owning a PlayStation 3 for three years – an eternity in game industry time.

The (in our opinion) lucky gamer who volunteered to defect to PC gaming was one Neal Chung-Lee, a local student had at that point been waiting in line for several days to be the one of the first people to own a PS3. But after selling his console-loving soul to PC gaming (and making the front page of Digg), Neal fell off of our radar. That is, until we bumped into him this past week. And you’ll never guess where.

Our first meeting at E3 was with 2K Games, the publisher of the upcoming PC titles Borderlands, Civilization: Colonization, and Champions Online. 2K Games is also the publisher of Bioshock, and gave a presentation of the planned Bioshock PlayStation 3 port. Halfway though the presentation, we noticed that the 2K Games employee “driving” the demo looked a little familiar. After checking his nametag and doing a quick Google search on our phones, we confirmed our suspicions: it was Neal!

We caught up with Neal after the game demonstration to see what he had been up to since signing the contract. He found a job working at 2K as a game analyst, playtesting upcoming games to provide feedback to developers. The Falcon PC is still at his house, and he’s used it as his primary gaming system for multi-platform games like Bioshock. And when asked whether he or his housemates currently own a PlayStation 3, Neal responded “No” without any hesitation. However, he was also quick to add “But I have two of them on my desk at work.”