Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Everquest "Living Legacy" Promotion
So I found out that Everquest is having a month-long "event" of sorts where every extinguished account is reactivated and you can log in and see what's new since you quit. I got my curiosity piqued and downloaded the client, and after literally 7 hours of patching (glad I started it at lunch and left it running!), I was able to log in to my old account and see what the heck there was to see.
The first little shock to my system was that my human monk, Amano Jyaku, was deleted. I don't remember deleting him.. who knows what has happened in the 6 years since I quit, though. But fortunately, my halfling druid "Babalouie Bigtime" was still there and intact, and he was higher level anyway.
I played on Rallos Zek, the PVP server that let you loot an item (and all the cash in the pockets) from the players you kill. Seems all the PVP servers have been merged into one now.. no more Tallon Zek or Vallon Zek or whatever they were called. I had logged my druid out in the extradimensional zone known as the "Plane of Growth" in the Velious expansion... and it was a good thing too because I could not remember for the life of my how the hell anything worked in this game. It took me 45 minutes to be able to find my way out of the freaking zone. The reason I say that's a good thing is because that zone is so "old news" apparently that nobody goes there... so I didn't have to worry about somebody nuking the shit out of me and stealing my gear while I stumbled around groggily trying to remember how to buff myself.
But, eventually I got the hang of things and went to have a look around at my old MMO stomping grounds from 1999.
Apparently sometime after I quit, most of the world of EQ got some kind of crazy face lift. The old low-poly (well, they were reasonable amounts of polygons for 1999) models and textures got a detail increase. Formerly pyramid-like hills got rounded, gullies and ditches with visible vertexes got scooped with a giant melon baller, and grass and plant sprites got thrown in everywhere. The East and West Commonlands pulled a Germany and merged into one zone, as did some others (such as Oasis of Marr and South Ro, etc). Most all of the old school outdoor zones got this face lift, and freeport got totally redesigned.
My nostalgia was tempered by a nauseous sense of wrongness... like the world was not what it was supposed to be. Sure, curving hills and higher poly player models are nice and all, but if you ask me the attention to artistry from the original 99 EQ wasn't there in the rebuild. They've sacrificed artistic design and lovingly crafted textures (which they had to do spend a lot of time on back in the day, since the low poly models and terrain were VERY blocky back then, to make the game look good) in favor of softer curves through increased vertexes.
And let me just tell you, what they have done to the city of Freeport should be considered a crime in need of a very stern military tribunal. North freeport is GONE, and west and east have been totally redesigned, but awfully. Gone is the court of the tranquil, where I trained my monk. Gone is the little moat outside it where I worked on my swimming skill. Gone are the inns, streets, buildings, stores and other random empty buildings that built a grown-up virtual playground of the imagination for hundreds of us at the turn of the century. The new freeport, despite higher polygon count, is artistically bankrupt. The textures are awful, the streetplan is even more confusing than the old one, and all in all it felt like a very alien place I would want to spend as little time in as possible, even 9 years ago.
All very strange, considering that, for instance, rivervale is 100% untouched in all its low-poly glory. The only difference I noticed there (aside from some of the NPCs using the new models of course) was that the constant loop of rivervale.mid was missing. Which could really be considered a good thing... I remember thinking back in the day that if I heard that happy hoppy hobbit song just one more time I'd go insane. Still, it would have been a huge nostalgia rush to hear it in its original setting... as it was, the silence punctuated the statement that this is not the Everquest I left 6 years ago... and I'm not sure all of it has been for the better.
There's all kinds of crap all over my inventory and character sheet I can't even begin to fathom. I'm not sure how much time I will invest in figuring it all out since I don't have the slightest inkling to stick around after the Legacy event runs out in late July.
Playing DAOC, WoW and Conan though have spoiled me.. I ran up to a level 1 bat on my druid and it took me 2 melee hits to kill it. It struck me as absolutely insane that a level 50 druid with velious gear can't 1-shot a level 1 bat in melee.
Also, I /claimed my "living legacy" reward pack, and it gave me pieces of gear that so far outstripped my pathetic old-school gear it was flabbergasting... I remember having to fight tooth and nail for the spawn to get my paltry little +4 wis +4 con sleeves, and the legacy pack gave me something that literally raised 20 different stats by double digit numbers. When I think of all the others on Rallos Zek who tried to kill me for my (now pathetic) gear (sometimes succeeding)... it just... wow.
Well, at least medding back mana was just as slow as I remembered it to be.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
DRAM on the Processor - interesting read
Check this out... the future coming?
Intel said that it was able to fine tune its DRAM design and hit a physical clock of 2 GHz using a 65 nm manufacturing process. The resulting 2T-DRAM offers a stunning bandwidth of 128 GB/s. If Intel is successful to take the clock speed up to the level of its QX9770/9775 processors, the bandwidth would climb to 204.8 GB/s. In other words: Intel would gain more than a 10x improvement over its current L2 cache technology. More importantly: This approach would completely change the programming model since there are no longer any concerns over cache misses.Read Full Article
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Review: The Incredible Hulk - The Game
It's the oft-proven rule that games based on movies usually are pretty mediocre at best. I have yet to actually see the movie (I know, {geek_cred--;} ) and it kind of works against this title.
Graphics:
Overall the graphics are rudimentary, sometimes a little disappointing. Although the game automatically detects your desktop resolution and adopts it for play, beyond that it isn't that impressive. Most models are pretty simplistic, the textures are low res and visibly pixelated, and there's plenty of "SUDDENLY A TREE!" popping up where you didn't see it until you were 10 feet away, and overall the draw cutoff distance is very noticeable. There doesn't seem to be a way to customize the graphic detail at all, because there is no "settings" menu option... just start, and quit. If you were to remove the movie cut scenes (which themselves look pretty PS1), the whole mess would actually fit on a single CD, instead of a DVD.
Sound:
Hulk sounds good (RAWR!), and the sound effects do the job, but I think they went a bit overboard on the voice overs. They probably had to pay Edward Norton a whole lot to do the voice acting in the game, so I guess they were trying to wring their money out of him by volume. I actually got tired of the sound of his voice (and also, I kept waiting for him to start talking about Tyler Durden and Marla Singer).
Story:
The story must sort of follow the movie (again, haven't seen it yet) but to someone who hasn't, it's disjointed, random, chaotic, and slightly frustrating. I suppose that won't bother those who just want to click "start" and have Hulk SMASH, but I found the half-hearted attempt at story exposition to be a frustration. It almost would have been better with no story at all.
Gameplay:
Let's just get this out of the way right off the bat: The control scheme for the PC version of this game is just ridiculous. It can't be customized either. Seriously.. here are some examples... for hulk to heal, press 1, then hold the right AND middle mouse buttons, and then push "f" on the keyboard. W...t...f? Hulk has special moves and combos the game never really bothers to teach you about, and you're forced to find them out by hitting a brick wall and then just mashing buttons until you find what you want. Incidentally, when it gets to the part where it tells you "use thunderclap to defeat a swarm," it doesn't mean you have to use the supermove that takes away a full meter of rage, it means you can just hit 2, then right and middle click to make a small clap... but it never tells you that.
However, the RPG element of the game is kind of nifty. To unlock hulk's special moves and powers and such, you have to do special things, like jump a mile (to get higher jumping), destroy 100 cars (to get the ability to bend cars around your fists as gauntlets), etc. Really, powering up becomes the main impetus behind the game.
The healing factor though makes it so that the only way you ever are defeated is through the cheese factor. Like, say hulk picks something up and you can't seem to get him to drop it or face the right way or move so 3 puny humans crowd around you and you're nibbled to death by ducks. That's enough to make anybody turn green.
More than anything, the game put me in mind of my brute character from City of Villains. If CoV had a more action (instead of target and click/button) based interface, it would have been identical, aside from the fact that hulk can smash entire buildings and is actually capable of harming bystanders. The graphics are similar, the feel is nearly identical, and the powers are so reminiscent that I'd almost think Cryptic Studios had a hand in this.
Verdict:
The status quo is maintained. The game isn't terrible, but it isn't great either. Another mediocre movie tie-in. If you're an absolute hulkamaniac you may get more enjoyment out of it, but for the rest of us, life is too short and there are too many other better games to waste too much time on this one.
Grade: C
And that's the word from bandit camp.
Apparently this trailer is for the PS3 version, and I guess some of the shading effects and whatnot didn't make it to the PC version. ah well.
..
Monday, June 09, 2008
Alone in the Dark Goes Gold
From BluesNews:
Alone in the Dark Goes Gold is the press release announcing the conclusion of development on Atari's horror/survival game, which is expected in North American stores on June 24 and European stores on June 20 for PC, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2, while the PlayStation 3 edition is expected to follow sometime this fall. And Central Park is scary enough at night even before you account for the "earth-shattering truth" it holds: Atari today announced that development is complete on the highly anticipated action survival game Alone in the Dark, and the game is on track to ship 20 June in Europe and 24 June in North America for Xbox 360 game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PC, Wii and PlayStation 2 . The PLAYSTATION 3 version is scheduled for autumn 2008. Central Park is hiding a secret. Over the course of one apocalyptic night trapped in Manhattan’s vast parkland, hero Edward Carnby must fight the unimaginable to survive and uncover the earth-shattering truth. New York will never be the same again.
Developed by Eden Games, Alone in the Dark for Xbox 360 and PC aims to change what gamers expect from action games with a ground-breaking reinvention of the classic franchise which debuted in 1992 and created the survival horror genre. Continuing the legacy of innovation of that first game, the new Alone in the Dark re-imagines the genre with engrossing cinematic presentation, compelling gameplay challenges and a thrilling narrative story arc.
The richly-detailed, contemporary setting of New York's Central Park is the host for a challenging mix of gameplay experiences, unprecedented environmental interaction and combat all based on real-world rules and physics. A seamless on-character inventory and health recovery system combine to maintain the immersion as the player drives the story through the free-roaming expanse of Central Park.
Inspired by the story-telling twists and turns of many blockbuster TV series, Alone in the Dark innovates once again with a DVD-style chapter select menu which lets players of all abilities reach the game’s dramatic, riveting climax and get the full value out of the game.
“With its genre-busting mix of gameplay, wide-screen presentation style and DVD chapter select feature putting the player in control, Alone in the Dark will thrill all gamers,” said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames Entertainment. “It’s a game which will challenge the player but also reward them with a one-of-a-kind video game experience and a huge amount of fun.”
The Wii and PS2 versions of Alone in the Dark have been developed by Hydravision Entertainment in parallel with the Xbox 360 and PC games created by Eden Studios. The PS2 game pushes the hardware to maximise the gameplay experience, while the Wii game has been especially adapted to make use of the unique controllers in a variety of gameplay situations from driving to the real-time manipulation of objects.
In addition to the standard game, Xbox 360, PC and Wii Limited Editions will be available at launch from selected European retailers featuring exclusive items including hero figurine, art book and ‘making of’ documentary DVD.
For more information on Alone in the Dark visit http://www.centraldark.com.
I look forward to this title, as I've said previously, because I have fond memories of the originals. I hope it's just as Lovecraftian now as then... (full article)
Call of Duty 5 Details - Co-op Support
Found via Blues News-
Computer and Video Games has details from OXM on the next Call of Duty game, which will not be called Call of Duty 5, but rather Call of Duty: World at War, a return to the World War II setting in the works at Treyarch Studios. Word is the game will center around the Pacific theatre, though Russia's advance on Berlin will also be depicted. There's also word that the military shooter sequel's use of the engine from CoD4 creates a grittier and scarier environment than previous CoD games, and a further blurb on Videogaming247 mentions target platforms as PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii (the version for the latter platform is being developed separately), and the hopeful news from both articles is the game will include cooperative multiplayer support. No release date is projected at this point. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.Read Full Article
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Review - XIII Century Death or Glory
Released almost the exact same time as Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come, I was left to wonder at the coincidence of TWO medieval RTSes being released at the same time by two different companies covering the same rough time period. Because I also had the misfortune to try Crusaders first (review here), I went into this game suspicious of it. It's been a rollercoaster since then.
Put out by 1C Publishing (Formerly Cenega) of the Czech Republic, this game actually would be pretty decent and interesting... if not for a game-crippling bug.
Graphics -
While the interface buttons and panels are a little nonintuitive and look slightly dated, the game elements themselves are rendered very well and the game overall is very pretty to look at. You're going to need a computer with some horsepower for this one, as every little foot soldier and knight is rendered fairly detailed. I did have some problems with the camera angles and controls, but they're not the worst I've ever seen.
Audio -
The game audio lives up to par, though not much of it is something to write home about. On the plus side, the game makes good use of voiceovers in the tutorial, but on the down... every army you can command uses the same "you clicked me" or "you gave me an order" set of sound files... so every army, be it English or German or whatever, sounds English. A small nit, but I'm going to pick it.
Gameplay -
XIII Century is all about battlefield tactics, in a way that really made me feel like I was playing chess only in real time instead of turns. There's a lot going on and a lot of variables. You have units of various type (Archers, Swordsmen, Pike, and there are mounted and foot varieties), a selection of different formations that can then also be packed tightly for bonuses in melee combat or spaced wide for bonuses defending against archers, etc. Certain unit types are at large advantage over others (Pikemen are best at defending against cavalry charges, but archers tear the closely packed pikemen apart, but widely spaced swordsmen charging into the archers defeat them easily, etc), but just as important is use of formations and terrain. Putting your archers up on hills makes them much more accurate. Packing multiple units of pikemen together gives them bonuses, and you want to have their flanks guarded by cliffs or deep forest. Swamps slow down everybody who tries to traverse them, making them easier to pick off with archers.
The campaign consists of historical battles from the 13th century, ranging from England to Mongolia, Russia to the Holy Land. There is no base building and there are no reinforcements to be had.. what you start each battle with is what you get, and it does force you to strategize more carefully.
There are some dynamics to the game, however, I don't agree with. Archers are nearly impotent against each other for some reason. I had 5 squads of my archers attack one squad of enemy archers and my archer squads all ran out of ammo before the enemy squad was half dead. Which reminds me, it may be realistic and all to limit the ammunition of archer units, but I don't think it makes the game any funner and in many situations (such as the one above) it can frustrate the player.
Also, once your carefully arranged formations of troops finally gets into the mix with the enemy, often you won't be able to tell what the hell is going on in the swirling mass of humanity. Sure, there are symbols overhead (one per unit) denoting you've got a unit there, and he's got a unit there too, but most of the time you'll find yourself completely unable to distinguish who is who and which side is winning. The game's refusal to show you any sort of number or health statistics for enemy units adds to this, and is just irritating in general.
But the final killer for this game comes thusly - the game has a bug that breaks it. Flat out breaks it. The devs of the game have acknowledged this problem since April and have promised a patch but as of June there's still no word, because apparently they're busy working on an expansion. Hello? If you're not going to fix the broken software you already sold, why would we want to buy more from you? It also doesn't help that their support forum workers speak in broken, pidgin english (though I must admit, their english is better than my Czechoslovakian... though since there isn't a Czechoslovakia any more, are we supposed to call the language CzechoRepublican?). The bug is this: Every time a unit which has been ordered into a circle formation tries to move, the game gets an "access violation" error which crashes the engine, but not to desktop, so you're forced to end task on the process. It becomes especially gamebreaking because the second battle of the campaign has the enemy AI starting with his pikemen in circle formation, and as soon as you give him reason to move them, game over.
The Verdict-
As I said, it was a rollercoaster. I went in with low expectations, was pleasantly surprised, started cresting high enjoying the game, and then had the rug pulled out from under me by the circle-formation bug (which you can't get around other than by not playing the english campaign at all), and the final nail in the coffin was the misplaced priorities of the developer wanting an expansion before a bug fix.
Grade: F
If they ever get that patch out (and I manage to hear about it and can be bothered to go back and apply it and try again), I may regrade this title, but as it is, they might as well be selling an empty box. Too bad, too, because otherwise it would have merited at least a B.
And that's the word from Bandit camp.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Review: Trackmania Nations
It's been a long time since there's been a racing game for PC that I heartily endorsed (I think the last one was Whiplash, called Fatal Racing in the UK, back in the mid 90s). Imagine my surprise to find that the racing game that compels me to race once more after over a decade, is also free to download and play.
Trackmania nations is a racing game that stresses online competition versus other players. The free version focuses on formula-1 style racing in a large arena, but the pay version adds in styles such as racing McLarens along the beach or rally cars through the dirt or even beat up, top heavy econoboxes through the desert.
Graphics:
The advantage of the design of this game is that the graphics are simple as far as things such as poly count go, and the game really takes advantage of this. The graphic options scale to such a degree that in minimal mode the game runs reasonably well on my laptop with its chintzy on-board intel graphics chip, and yet at max looks beautiful on my uber gaming desktop box with an 8800 GTX in it. Even water has the ability to ripple and reflect realistically, and although the visuals are all in the 
same vein in the free version, the pay version allowed artists to really show that when given room to flex, they can generate content both pretty and diverse.
Sound:
The sounds are mostly what you would expect from a racing game, with the exception of the soundtrack. This has been the first game in a while that I really noticed the high quality of the soundtrack. Using ogg vorbis format music files (much higher quality and lower compression than MP3s,) the richness of the music really comes through on the higher shelf sound cards. 
Gameplay:
The racing is rather simple. You use the arrow keys (or your joystick/wheel, if you want) to steer left and right and accelerate/brake. The tracks vary from straight-forward races emphasizing speed and turn control, to crazy tracks that require inverted jumps and halfpipe turns. And through it all, the emphasis is on multiplayer, be it LAN, Online, or "by mail." Let me explain about that last one. It is actually possible for, in this game, you to have a good run on a track, save your "replay" of this track, and e-mail it (or otherwise somehow send the approximately 50kb file) to a friend which will give him both the track AND your "ghost" to race against.. and if he beats you, he can send HIS replay back to you... and so on. Quite novel.
Unfortunately the single player experience is somewhat neglected in this title.. there's no AI to speak of to race against other than the "medals," which gives you a car to race against that is really just the visual representation of the time you are trying to beat. Racing against these virtual opponents can be frustrating, especially at the "gold medal" level because they never mess up... they are guaranteed to finish the race safe and sound at their predetermined time, whereas you the player risk yourself on every turn and jump. The game in solo mode is not very fun, in my opinion... but against your friends or even just a few online strangers, it's a blast.
That brings me to the one other gripe I have with the game... It's pretty and all, but I'd have like to have seen some explosions or model destruction happen when a car crashes at 400kph. As it is now, it bounces or stops as if it were a low speed fender bender in a supermarket parking lot.. and not a dent or scratch to show for it (though skidding/rolling around in the dirt does get your car visibly and convincingly dirty).
One thing that is definitely a big plus to the game, however, is its inclusion of a full-service track editor. You can create your own tracks entirely from scratch for use for racing against your pals. The editor puts every track tile at your disposal, from the straightest straight to the craziest corkscrews. There are some very imaginative edits out there. And, of course, you can save your best run on these tracks and send the generated replay file to your friend, and he can race the track against you.
Verdict:
The game is an incredibly good showing, especially for a free title, but the disappointing single player experience keeps it from getting an A. However, the online/lan/by mail multiplayer, the replayability, and the track editor keep it up high.
Grade: B+
And that's the word from Bandit camp...
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Warhammer Online Newsletter Issue #31 (May 2008)
“Do not be deceived by the rugged beauty of Chrace, for behind that serene mask lies a beast like none other. No, no I speak not of the War Lion, but of it’s White Lion master who’s will can bring such a beast to heel!” Read more about the White Lion >> Checkout GameSpot’s exclusive White Lion coverage: Learn More about the Armies of WAR >> Games Day Baltimore (June 14, 2008) and Games Day Toronto (June 21, 2008) are quickly aporoaching and we have some exciting news for fans of WAR. Simply stop by our booth at either Games Day Baltimore or Toronto to play Warhammer Online, and you will receive an invitation to the Closed Beta and an exclusive in-game item - the Skaven Skin Cloak!* For more information about Games Day Baltimore and to purchase tickets click here. For more information about Games Day Toronto and to purchase tickets click here. If you are unable to make it to these events, never fear! We’ll see you in Chicago and LA with more beta invites and Skaven Skin Cloaks to give away. *One set of codes per player. Entrance into the Closed Beta is not guaranteed. You must be 18 years or older to enter the beta, and cannot be employed in the video game industry. Timing of beta invitation is dependent on computer system specs and other factors. See full disclaimer at the end of the newsletter. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to pre-order the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Collector’s Edition. It is selling fast and we won’t be making more of them when they are gone! This is your only chance to gear up with exclusive in-game items and exciting collectibles. Pre-order your copy today! The Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Collector’s Edition includes: To learn more about the Warhammer Online Collector’s Edition, please click here. The WAR Collector’s Edition is available now for Pre-Order. Special Pre-Order Bonuses Include: OPEN BETA ACCESS LIVE GAME HEAD START BONUS IN-GAME ITEMS For more information about the Collector’s Edition pre-order program, visit www.warhammeronline.com/ce_preorder. COLLECTOR’S EDITION PRE-ORDER PARTNERS Episode 5: Doomfist Crater and Blackfire Basin Welcome folks to another episode of Scenarios 101! With this episode we’ll be switching over to Greenskin vs. Dwarf Scenarios! Witch Elf Career Masteries The Witch Elves are the sanctified brides of Khaine, the Lord of Murder, and they serve their patron deity with savage pleasure. Wielding long daggers and prowling across the battlefield, the Witch Elves will sacrifice anyone and anything in their path as an offering to please the Bloody-Handed Lord. Witch Elf Masteries Path of Suffering Path of Treachery Fueled by hatred that has festered for millennia, the Dark Elves continue their relentless march across Ulthuan, driving the defending High Elves and their allies ever southward toward the capital city of Lothern. For the noble lords of Ulthuan the situation grows bleaker with each passing day. It is clear that desperate measures must be taken to slow the invaders' advance, for little else has worked. The time has come to wake the great Dragons of old. Warhammer Online Podcasts are now available on iTunes! Subscribe today! This month we sit down with Mark Jacobs, GM, EA Mythic, to talk about crafting in Warhammer Online. Mark shares with us the two important rules that shaped this crafting system and just what makes it different from other crafting systems. Join Creative Director, Paul Barnett, and his trusty video phone for a truly unique look at the making of WAR. This month, Paul preps video to send Down Under, sings to the cows, witnesses the end of Bruce, and finally finds a little slice of his homeland here in America. This month in the WAR Closed Beta, testers battled their way through Empire and Chaos Tiers 3 and 4 to fight their way to the gates of Altdorf! Next up, Greenskins and Dwarfs! Don’t waste any time, sign up now to take part in one of the largest beta tests ever for an MMORPG. More than 700,000 players have registered so far, but we are always looking for new recruits. Sharpen your sword, unleash your inner mutation, and prepare to meet your destiny on the battlefields of Warhammer Online. Sign up for the WAR Beta at: There are a million stories in the Age of Reckoning just waiting to be told. What is your tale? WAR is coming! Are you properly dressed? Do you feel like you’ve been lacking accessories in your WARdrobe? Well not any more! Now available exclusively at the EA Mythic Store is the new WAR pewter belt buckle.** Supplies are extremely limited so order now! ** Offer valid for U.S. residents only Feeling creative? We know we have some talented fans out there and now is the time for you to demonstrate your skills. Send us your WAR-inspired art and we’ll showcase the best submissions in upcoming newsletters. Plus, featured artists will be invited to join us in the closed beta test! It's Dawn of BloodGod A Goblin's Best Friend clic, BAM ! Factions Fight 'Ard as Nailz Warhammer Erbitterter Kampf Deklam el ingeniero More Pointy Bitz Is More Ded Stunties Welcome to the WAR Grab Bag, where our friendly neighborhood community team answers the most pressing, the most popular, and the most interesting questions from fans. Keep those questions coming, as we’re eager to hear what you have to say! Check out this month’s Grab Bag >> In the future we will collect grab bag questions from a different fansite each month. If you have a question you would like to submit for next month's grab bag please submit your questions on www.war-rvr.net dedicated forum page. "MMO’s are always expanding their worlds, and since we’ve only tackled a small portion of Warhammer so far, there’s plenty more to add. With so many different sides, angles, and armies to choose from, the potential for creativity is enormous which gives us a great opportunity to take an established IP and still make something original." "Warhammer is the Heavy Metal of the fantasy genre, I mean … what’s not to like? Warhammer works great as an MMO setting simply because there’s so much to draw from in the IP. The tone of the setting lends itself to the kind of brutal, exciting experiences that are a blast to play. These are also the kinds of things my team and I look forward to bringing to life in the game." The next phase of the WAR Beta is underway and we are debuting all-new content and RvR mayhem! Each month we'll randomly select 20 names from the newsletter subscriber database for entry into the Beta Test.*** If you are a current Warhammer newsletter subscriber, then you're automatically entered into the drawing every month. If you are not yet a newsletter subscriber, visit betacenter.eamythic.com to register for the Beta and subscribe to the monthly newsletter. May Winners: April 2008 Each month we’ll be shining the spotlight on WAR fan sites that exemplify what we consider to be the best in WAR community spirit. Two years ago Richard Prince (better known on Warhammer Alliance as Lynx) decided to write “Shadowspear Legacy”, a fan novel about the Age of Reckoning. He finally released the first chapter to excited readers and eager fans this month on his website dedicated to the novel. We hope you enjoy it and the chapters to come as much as we did, you can Is your fan site doing something cool, informative, or fun? Let us know by sending an email to war-community@mythic.ea.com and you could be featured in the next community spotlight. Download the WAR The views expressed in the linked sites are the views of the respective owners of each site, and do not necessarily express the views of Electronic Arts, its wholly-owned subsidiaries or Licensors. Electronic Arts does not endorse and is not responsible for content on third party sites, including fan sites. Get your hands on the latest Origins Gen Con Indy **** The BOOM! Beta promotional code must be activated by June 14, 2008 to be eligible for the Beta Test. Previous registrants can add the promo code to their existing accounts by visiting the Beta Center. One in five registrants using this promo code are potentially eligible to participate in the Beta test. However, this is dependent upon the registrant meeting specific computer system specifications and the time of entry is not guaranteed. The Beta Test is an ongoing process and registrants will be invited to participate at various intervals until the launch of the game. Offer valid for North American beta test only. Only one BOOM! Beta Code can be associated with a Beta Center Account. ***In order to participate in the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Beta you must agree to a Beta Test Agreement, in which you will represent and warrant that, among other things, you (a) are eighteen (18) years of age or older, (b) are not a principal, employee, agent, independent contractor, officer or director of a developer or publisher of video or computer games (other than EA), and (c) are not a principal, employee, supplier, independent contractor, officer or director or of any entity that participates either directly or indirectly in the sale of in-game items, including but not limited to, in-game currency, armor, weapons, etc., whether these sales are to the general public or to a third-party. 'Warhammer' ©/™ and/or ® GW Ltd. Newsletter © 2008 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.
- Kitharl Woodwalker, Huntsman of Chrace
White Lion Interview and Art Assets>>
Links will be live the evening of May 28th. For those of you who were pondering what it would be like to play the Artistan High Elf - GOTHCA! That was a little practical joke on all of those who just couldn't wait for the last Elf class to be announced. 
Be one of the first players to experience the glory of battle and the thrill of WAR when the Open Beta phase begins.
Begin your adventures in the Age of Reckoning before the raw recruits arrive!
Equip your characters for the journey to the frontlines with two helpful bonus items!
The Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order from these fine retailers:
United States Retailers: 
Canada Retailers: 
by Brian Wheeler, Lead RvR Design 
With each strike of their weapons, the Witch Elves drive themselves deeper into a furious bloodlust, until they finally sate themselves in a horrific frenzy. Using their Khaine-blessed weapons, a Witch Elf can slice into her enemy and then corrupt their very blood upon her blades, briefly granting even more power to her attacks.
Path of Carnage
The Path of Carnage is mainly concerned with quickly and directly slaughtering anything that presents itself to the Witch Elf. Eschewing subtlety, a specialist in this path prefers to confront her enemies face-to-face...or at least, face-to-what's-left-of-their-face.
The Path of Suffering focuses more on effects that linger for some time, and a master in this path takes pleasure in leading her victims into a false sense of security. While her attacks may not seem dangerous at first, it's only moments later that the Witch Elf's enemy suddenly realizes that their death is imminent and there's nothing they can do to stop it.
The Path of Treachery appeals to those Witch Elves who prefer to stalk their prey, attacking when the target is unsuspecting. A master of this path performs best in the thick of large, chaotic combats, where her victims are kept busy and unsuspecting, and she prefers to strike the enemy at their unprotected flanks. 
In the eastern reaches of Caledor, the tall mountain peaks yield to grassy hills that eventually slope down to meet the western border of Eataine. Though the lands to the west are more mountainous, the caves that run beneath the hills of this region are as deep as any in Caledor, and many ancient Dragons slumber within them. In ages past, when the lands of the High Elves came under threat, the Dragon Princes traveled to this land to rouse the slumbering beasts to war. For this reason, the western-most region of Caledor came to be known as Dragonwake. 
With the enemy at their heels, the High Elf armies pour into Dragonwake and race to the old temples and holy sites to rouse the slumbering titans of the skies. The Dragons are among the High Elves' mightiest weapons, and their wrath will surely be terrible when they behold the treacherous armies of the Witch King burning and pillaging the lands of Ulthuan. But the Dragons' slumber is deep indeed, and there is no knowing whether they will ever take to the wing again. 
Dark Elf Mount - Basic Cold One Dark Elf Mount - Light Armor Cold One Dark Elf Mount - Heavy Armor Cold One 
Dwarf Mount -
Gyro Harness
Tier 1 Dwarf Mount - Gyro Harness
Tier 2 Dwarf Mount -
Gyro Harness
Tier 3 
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This month we recount the journeys of a heroic Swordmaster in the Age of Reckoning. His first encounter with the forces of Chaos was so disturbing, and conjured up such feelings of fear, that his words alone cannot do it justice. 
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