W00 H00 Time to Shoot Hookers!!!...?

GTA IV comes out today kids, but you already knew that. Jack Thompson is on the rampage again. You probably already guessed that. Hot coffee? Nah, he doesn't need that this time around. This time, IGN supplies the juice by means of pre-release vid. There's nothing really here that wasn't in the others except it is ratcheted up a notch and shown back to back. Hookers and strippers, hit and runs and drive bys. Nothing here to see kids.

I'm a free speech kinda guy but honestly, I really hope that when the newsies write their inevitable stories tomorrow about how the games biz is taking Hollyw00t for a ride, they don't have too many lines about how we are destroying the yewts. Hate to say Jack is right, kinda, but this stuff really ain't for kids. I'm pretty sure I'll get an extra day in heck for saying that.

Campaign Stats

We've been mulling over the campaigns and some upcoming rule changes in the office as we are wont to do and Bloo put together some nice charts I though I would share. The info from these is readily available at Battleground Tools.

Victories:

Average Campaign Length: All-Time: 36 Days
Moving Average Currently: ~42 Days

All-Time Total: 49
Axis: 29 (60%)
Allied: 19 (39%)
Truce: 1 (2%)
(Percentages rounded)

Last 10 Campaigns (back to 2/21/2007, during which 1.25 was released):
Axis: 3 (30%)
Allied: 6 (60%)
Truce: 1 (10%)

This shows the winners and losers of each of the campaigns and how long they lasted. We use this to cross check with RDP cycle times and what not and of course look for trends. Of course charts can;t ever tell the whole tale as they don;t cover things like morale but they are interesting. Longer campaigns tend to be won by the Axis. Shorter campaigns tend to be won by the Axis. Since ToEs the Allies have had their first real strings of victories. I love pondering these types of numbers. What are your thoughts?

Thanks to Bloo for the data.

20 Reasons Not to Play D&D 4e

The guys at Topless Robot have an awesome take on some of the changes for DD4E. I'd been following it lightly and planning on running a game around the office when it comes out but...

No Half-Orcs? No Bards? No half naked Succubus on p.230 of the DM Guide? WTF!

The read is a nice little romp through the nostalgia for some of the finer points of DD1E. Sure I won't miss THAC0 but if I can't continue the legacy of Grukk the Half-Orc barbarian and his faithful pal Piffin Fandershall, Gnone Illusionist, well then, I just don't think I'll play. Maybe it's time for more Hackmaster...

Thanks for the link Bloo.
Topless Robot - A 20-Point Letter of Protest Regarding the New 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons (from a Gnome and a Half-Orc)

All I want for Christmas...

Is a PAINTBALL TANK!!1! Utter brilliance. This guys takes DIY to glorious new heights. I think they can pretty much just stop Maker Faire at this point. No more crocheted Flying Spaghetti Monsters needed TYVM. Thanks to Bloo and Ahwulf for the linkage.

WWIIOL Damage Video

This is an oldie but a goodie recently redone with some voice over by our resident croc wrangler, a.k.a. DOC. This video really shows the guts of the sim, showcasing our damage and ballistics. You'll notice no hitpionts or look up tables are used. This, gentlemen, is the real deal. We'll be redoing this with the new graphics engine upgrade and the new models in the near future.

Digg It

I feel compelled to throw out a call for Diggs. Lockheed has thrown a DMCA take down notice to TurboSquid over an artists sculpture of a WWII bomber posted on the site. TurboSquid, as you may know, is an outlet for artists to offer their work for sale. Needless to say, not only did our tax dollars fund the design and production of this aircraft but at heart this is a work of art for sale, no different than buying a calendar in the back of a warbird magazine. Lockheed has tried this copyright infringement crapola before. They tend to try and pick on the little guys.

Digg - DMCA abuse: 3D art is "trademark infringement."

Giga Gophur

It's all about exposure don't you know. I'll be on Giga TV this afternoon (night for you eoros) talking about BE or WWIIOL or whatever you wish to call this massively multi-player online first-person shooter strategy role playing game (MMO, MMOFPS, MMORPG ?) that we all so dearly love to live and breath.

I have no idea what they will ask me. I have no idea what the program format is like to be. I have no idea how to actually watch this from the office in Bedford...

What I do know is that for a small independent game developer and defacto publisher this is huge. I also know that Greni and Hofnarr will be on set to show off the game. Hope you cats can tune in.

BEGM: Battleground Europe Game Monitor

The latest version of BEGM is out. If you play WWIIOL (I still never think of it as Battleground Europe) then you owe it to yourself to take a look at this amazingly cool tool. Many hats off to Xiper for doing this. His map is SWEET.

BEGM: Battleground Europe Game Monitor

"Kbar" from CinC to Ink

Rob "Kbar" Kauder has been a long time member of the WWIIOL community. He came to the MMO as a day one player if I recall correctly. He was a CinC for the Allied High Command. He's a hell of a paintball player and I think he met his wife at a player convention. Well now it comes to my attention that he's just published an account of some of his time in Iraq titled The Highlanders: Charlie Company goes to the Iraq Training Center. I'm looking forward to reading his accounts of time spent away from the game and in the real deal. S! to you Kbar and all the men and women who have served along side of you.

Thanks to Onchas for the heads up on this one. Looking forward to seeing you at the next con K.

CTotD

I don't actually consider myself a "gun nut". Sure I like to go birding with my dad when I can and oogling that .50 cal rifle is always fun but today's post just grabbed the inner geek in me. I grew up on James Bond and SoF magazine like any red-blooded ninja loving kid and this thing is just the fix for those fond memories.

Today's cool thing of the day brought to you by Defense Tech.

CToTD

What do you get when you cross a Pz II with, well hell, I don't know what with. Apparently this is some oddball German tank thingy that can be found in a Russian tank museum. I think we should build it!

Thanks Coop via Boing Boing.

1.5 Million Concurrent Users!?!

I've never heard of ZT Online have you? Well, we don;t live in China, but still I watch this stuff like a hawk everyday. In conventional western wisdom that would mean they probably have around 15 million subscribers. Wow! And that's more wow than WoW. OK, well it isn't the west and Chinese games aren't conventional by our standards but I think this makes a pretty good case why we are releasing into China. I still can't believe we haven't gotten any press on that one...

Peak Concurrent Users for ZT Online Exceeds 1.5 Million | RedlineChina

MMOGCHART.COM has Returned.

SirBruce is back in action reporting all of your MMO numbers in one place. A great resource in the business. Did you know he is an original Playnet guy? Yes indeedee. Great to see you back on track SirB.

MMOGCHART.COM

Spore Released into the Wild Sept 7

Three days before my birthday and I'll have a week off for the Austin Game Conference! Oh man, this may be the best birthday ever. I think I'll sit in the hotel room and play on the laptop...oh crap. My ACER probably won't play it... Good thing I talked Killer into springing for that ASUS beast with the DX10 card in it! HOOWAH!

UPDATE:


It's on the DS. Shannon got me a DS for Christmas. Life is good. Also, an indepth interview on Newsweek.
Spore finally evolves to retail Sept 7, 2008 - Joystiq

Sid Thinks MMO

So everyone and their uncle is covering the brief blab that Sid Meier has thoughts about doing an MMO down the road. I hope it isn't going to be Pirates (snark). I would really like to see what direction that would go in though. Colonization but in space against other planets? IN.

Dambusters Video

Great stuff for you fly boys out there.

Gallery of the Bizzare

Sometimes things just don't go right. A late check-in post data freeze, a QA pass that just didn't think to look in third person, a misplaced multi-texture comment in an art file, any of these can and do happen. And when they do, they are all my fault! Yup. I wear the pants in this family and as you can see, yesterday they fell off. Hehe. Wee, this shit will happen on occasion. Best to laugh. Oh, that's a French infantry man firing his weapon...in another dimension apparently. If you have more photos of this madness I'm collecting them for The Gallery Of the Bizarre.

BOOM!

The Navy is set to fire its big railgun today. Word on the street iis they've cranked it up to "11", and by that I mean 10 MEGAJOULES. Holy mother! I think I'll build one and put it on a Laffly and see if the recoil gets me airborn. Somedays my job is sheer fun.

I Always Wanted to be an Astronaut

Killer and I were talking about this and we really want to submit a proposal. What better place to steal great ideas than from you guys! C'mon, be a part of the future. Ask not what Playnet can do for you but what you can do for Gophur And Killer!

DEVELOPMENT OF A NASA-BASED MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE LEARNING GAME

MMORPG Shows a Little Love

MMORPG.com has posted a list of the features in the most recent release for our beloved MMO. Drop by and show a little love if you can. We small time indies need all the help we can get in spreading the word and it's nice to see the big guys taking a little time out to give us a bit of press.

MMORPG.COM