Gaming World just got a lot more interesting

So today as I posted earlier Battlefield 3 open Beta has begun and even as my computer continued to download the game client, I may or may not have been notified of a recent invite to another much anticipated games Beta. It is an exciting time to be a PC gamer .

Battlefield 3 open Beta is here

With less than a month before BF3 is released EA has opened up Beta to everyone. Beta will be played on the Operation Metro map and will last till October 10th. In order to get the beta you must first download the new Origin program. You can find the article here to get all the information you need to download the Beta.

Diplomacy is Supreme

Good diplomacy in games is often hard to find and even if it surfaces its usually an after thought. In Supremacy 1914 it is often vital to winning. Case in point is one of my present contests. The image above is the present condition of my game in which myself (United Kingdom, Orange) is allied with Italy (Yellow) and Lithuania (Light Green). The other major players are Ukraine (Grey) and Algeria (Darker Green). Now it becomes tricky in the fact that Lithuania is also allied with Ukraine. Algeria and Ukraine are preparing to attack Italy and have asked me to stay out of the fight. I have hatched a plan with Italy and Lithuania to use our battleships to choke off Algeria and then assault ukraine together.

The tricky part of this is that I am not sure I can trust Lithuania. If he decides to attack italy and Myself instead of going with the plan then this game is probably over. if he sides with us we stand a good chance of winning. Either way its this kind of diplomacy and counter diplomacy that keeps me playing this game. When you add in Spies and Intercepted messages it really takes it to the next level.

Ill let you guys know how this turns out.

Convention limits posts

Well Last week I was at a convention related to my job. This limited the amount of time I have had available to post and to play games. Now with that over with I am ready to dive back in.

New WoT Match making Chart

If you have ever wondered how World of Tanks slots you into battles this chart will help you understand the process better. This chart has been updated for the inclusion of some light tanks and Premiums added in patch 6.7

WoT Patch v6.7 is Live

here is the full list of features released today

World of Tanks v.0.6.6 - 0.6.7 Patch Notes

New Features

- German light tank VK2801 (tier 5)
- USSR light tanks: T-50 (tier 4) and T-50-2 (tier 5)
- USA tanks: light tank M24 Chafee (tier 5) and medium tank M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo (tier 6)
- Premium Chinese tank Type 59 (tier 8)
- Map "Fisherman's Bay"
- Premium account purchase for 6 and 12 months
- USA tank M6A2E1 historical description

Changes

- Wittmann's Medal to Boelter's Medal.
- Damage models for vehicles Е-50 and Е-75: armored skirt and rangefinder cover thickness.
- Characteristics for the following vehicles:

PzJager I
- -1 deg/sec to default suspension traverse speed
- +10 deg/sec to horizontal gun rotation speed
- 3.7 cm PaK 38t L/47 gun: loading time set to 1.8 sec
- 3.7 cm PaK 38t L/47 gun: aiming speed set to 1 sec
- +1 shell to 4.7 cm PaK 38t L/43 gun ammunition
- 4.7 cm PaK 38t L/43 gun: aiming speed set to 1 sec

Marder II
- 7.5 cm PaK 40 gun: loading time set to 3.5 sec
- 7.6 cm PaK 36® gun: loading time set to 3.8 sec

Hetzer
- +5% to suspension performance on average soil
- 7.5 cm PaK 39 L/43 gun: loading time set to 3.4 sec
- 7.5 cm PaK 39 L/48 gun: loading time set to 3.4 sec
- 10.5 cm StuH42 L/28 gun: loading time set to 7.5 sec

JagdPz IV
- A more detailed gun armor model implemented.
- +5% to accuracy during movement
- 7.5 cm StuK42 L/70 gun: loading time set to 3.4 sec
- 10.5 cm StuH42 L/28 gun: loading time set to 6.3 sec
- 8.8 cm PaK 36 L/56 gun: loading time set to 5 sec

JagdPanther
- -3 deg/sec to top suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement
- 8.8 cm PaK 43 L/71 gun: loading time set to 4.8 sec
- 10.5 cm K18 L/52 gun: loading time set to 7.2 sec

Ferdinand
- 8.8 cm PaK 43 L/71 gun: loading time set to 4.8 sec
- 10.5 cm K18 L/52 gun: loading time set to 7.2 sec
- 12.8 cm PaK44 L/55 gun: loading time set to 10.5 sec

JagdTiger
- + 5% to default suspension performance on average soil
- +5% to top suspension performance on hard soil

Pz IIIA
- +20 Hit Points
- +10% to default suspension performance
- +5% to top suspension performance

Maus
- +1 t to suspension load capacity


M2Med
- A more detailed armoring model implemented.

M36 Slagger
- -2 deg/sec to suspension traverse speed

M46 Patton
- Increased accuracy during movement (now it is equal to M26 Pershing in version 6.4 and previous versions)
- 105 mm Gun T5E1M2 gun: loading time for default turret set to 8 sec

M5 Stuart
- A more detailed armoring model implemented.

Ram 2
- A more detailed armoring model implemented.

T18
- -2 deg/sec to default suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement with default suspension
- -5% to top suspension performance
- -2 deg/sec to top suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement with top suspension
- 75 mm Howitzer M1A1 gun: loading time set to 3.6 sec

T25 AT
- -2 deg/sec to default suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement with default suspension
- -2 deg/sec to top suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement with top suspension
- 90 mm AT Gun M3 gun: loading time set to 6.4 sec
- 90 mm AT Gun T15E2 gun: loading time set to 6.4 sec
- 105 mm AT Gun T5E1 gun: loading time set to 8 sec

T40
- -5% to accuracy during movement with default suspension
- -1 deg/sec to top suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement with top suspension

T82
- -2 deg/sec to suspension traverse speed
- 57 mm Gun M1 L/50 gun: loading time set to 2.2 sec

Battle performance for some Soviet guns changed (may vary after mounting on different vehicles):
- 37 mm ZiS-19S: aiming speed set to 1.5 sec
- 45 mm 20KS: aiming speed set to 1.5 sec
- 57 mm ZiS2: loading time set to 2.5 sec
- 76 mm L-10S: aiming speed set to 2 sec
- 85 mm D-5S-85A: accuracy set to 0.37
- 85 mm LB-2S: aiming speed set to 2.5 sec
- 100 mm D10S: loading time set to 6.2 sec, aiming speed set to 2.0 sec
- 107 mm ZiS-6S: aiming speed set to 2.5 sec
- 122 mm M-30S: aiming speed set to 2 sec, accuracy set to 0.48
- 122 mm D-25S muzzle brake: aiming speed set to 2.5 sec
- 122 mm D-25S 1944: aiming speed set to 2.5 sec
- 122 mm A-19: aiming speed set to 2.5 sec
- 152 mm ML-20 1937: +10% to unmasking after shot

AT-1
- -2 deg/sec to default suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement with default suspension
- -5% to top suspension performance
- -4 deg/sec to top suspension traverse speed
- -5% to accuracy during movement with top suspension
- 76 mm L-10S gun: aiming speed set to 2 sec
- 57 mm ZiS-8S gun: aiming speed set to 1.5 sec

SU-76
- +10 Hit Points
- +10% to top suspension performance
- -6 deg/sec to horizontal gun rotation speed
- 57 mm ZiS-2 gun: loading time set to 2.5 sec

SU-85B
- +5% to accuracy during movement with default suspension
- +5% to accuracy during movement with top suspension
- -6 deg/sec to horizontal gun rotation speed
- Sight range increased to 440 (m)
- 76 mm ZiS-3 gun: loading time set to 3 sec
- 57 mm ZiS-2 gun: loading time set to 2 sec

SU-85
- -6 deg/sec to horizontal gun rotation speed

SU-100
- -20Hit Points

SU-152
- -7 deg/sec to horizontal gun rotation speed

ISU-152
- -6 deg/sec to horizontal gun rotation speed

T-46
- Sight range increased to 300 (m)
- +2 deg/sec to top suspension traverse speed

Bug Fixes
- Minor fixes for vehicles T92, PzV Panther, PzV PzIV, Pz38 NA, T-54.
- Various fixes for maps “Steppes”, “Westfield”, “Lakeville”, “Siegfried Line”.
- Gun model for tank Pz III/IV.
- Battle chat not opening on pressing Enter.
- Inactivity of the research branch between vehicels PzKpfw III/IV and Hummel.
- A rare bug regarding creating battle for 14 and 15 players.
- Chat button not flashing after the battle.
- Identical engine names for SPGs T92, T28, and T95.
- Nation filter for consumables in the Store.           

Smuggler Progression Video Released

Bioware has released the newest progression video for SWTOR and todays class is the smuggler. I noticed in particular the groin kick at .33 seconds in and I wonder if the it is going to be an acutal ability for this class? Also Although I like the look in general, I have towonder what the deal is with the desparado cowboy look they are showing for the gunslinger?

Overlord Spills the Beans on World of Tanks Plans

Overlord has released a detailed time table for the major updates to WoT. Included is new tank models, game enhancements and much more. This kind of open door policy with the games players is refreshing and gives alot of insight into the route the are taking in devolping the game.

here is the post.

2012 Mystery Revealed

What to expect in WoT in the near future? A lot of stuff!

We give you the unique opportunity to get hold of World of Tanks release plans for 2011-2012. I'm totally sure most of the plans announced will be accomplished in time thanks to the team of highly-skilled professionals, that currently comprises around 300 people in 3 major offices.

With the development center in Minsk, Belarus, Wargaming.net has fully functioning operation office in California, the US, and two forming offices in the EU - in Paris and Berlin.

The main focus of the development team is to introduce new game modes, add more tank models (French are coming soon), new maps (Jungles, anyone?), improve visual effects and the engine itself.

The detailed release plans are given below.

New Game Modes

Company battle divisions: tier 10 max with no overall tier limitation, tiers 8, 6, and 4 max with the respective overall tier limitation.	Q4 2011
Assault (one team attacks, the other one defends the base) and Encounter battle (two teams are to capture the base in the center of the map).	Q4 2011
Garage battle – players can use several tanks (one after another) in one battle (“limited respawn”).	Q1 2012
Escort (only a few tanks from the team have the ability to capture enemy's base, the opposite team is to stop potential invaders).	Q1 2012
Historical battle - faction based battles with historically justified restrictions on vehicles and modules available.	2012

New Tanks American tanks
medium tank M4A3E2, light tank M24	Q3 2011
tank destroyers M8A1, T49, M18 Hellcat, T28 prototype	Q1 2012
heavy tanks M103, T110, tank destroyer T25-2	Q1 2012
Soviet tanks
light tanks T-50, T-50-2	Q3 2011
tank destroyer SU-85 (I)	Q4 2011
tank destroyers SU-100M-1, SU-101 (Uralmash-1), SU-122-54	Q4 2011
heavy tanks KV-1, KV-2, KV-4, Т-150, ST 1, Object 252	Q1 2012
German tanks
medium tank Pz IV Hydro	Q4 2011
tank destroyers Marder III, Dickermax, Nashorn, Sturer Emil, Jagdpanzer E-100	Q4 2011
SPGs E10, E25, tank destroyer JagdTiger Sd Kfz 185 (88/71)	Q2 2012
French tanks
light, medium, and heavy tanks Renault FT, D1, D2, B1, ARL 44, AMX-50 100mm, AMX-50 120mm, Hotchkiss H35, AMX 38, AMX 40, AMX-13/75, AMX-13/90, Chatillon 25t, BDR G1B, AMX M4 1945, AMX-50-68t , AMX-12t , Lorraine 40t	Q4 2011
SPGs RenaultBS, Lorraine39 L-AM, AMX-105AM, AMX 13F3AM, Lorraine155-50, Lorraine155-51, Bаt Chatillon155	Q1 2012
tank destroyers FCM 36Pak40, 105 leFH18B2, Panzerjager35R	Q1 2012
tank destroyers Renault FT AC, Lorraine 37L-AC, Somua Sau40, S 35CA, ARL V39, AMX AC de120-46, AMX AC de120-48, AMX50 Foch	Q1 2012
medium tank Renault G1R, light tank АМХ 13FL11	Q1 2012
British tanks	Q2 2012
Japanese tanks	2012

Ultimate Conquest (Clan Wars)

Fog of war in clan battles	Q4 2011
Cooldown period for destroyed vehicles.	Q4 2011
Expansion of the global map. The following regions are going to be added in the prescribed order: North America, Africa, South America, Australia, Korea, China, Japan.	2012
Clan treasure transactions.	2012
Clan armoury, clan consumables and tanks.	2012

Performance and Game Client

Packed resources decreasing map loading time.	Q4 2011
Pre-caching – optimized vehicle model loading for Low-end PCs.	Q4 2011
New firing effects, explosions, and other visual effects will be added gradually.	Starting Q4 2011

New Features (Misc)

Vehicle customization: camouflage and horn sounds.	Q4 2011
Mini-map customization and new functionality.	Q4 2011
Quick in-game violation report system.	Q4 2011
New crew skills and perks.	Starting Q4 2011
New aсhievements.	Q1 2012
Expanded post-battle statistics, also accessible in garage menu.	Q1 2012
Realistic vehicle physics.	Q1 2012
Extended platoons for up to 5 players.	Q1 2012
Improved match-making system	Q1 2012
National crew voices (crews of each nation speak their mother tongue)	Q1 2012
Battle game tutorial.	2012
Commander’s chart.	2012
Improved chat functionality, official language-based chat subchannels.	2012

Maps

1. Each update will introduce 1-2 new maps.
2. Maps featuring North American Landscapes are planned for release in Q4 2011, after that the following regions are going to be covered:

- Africa
- South America
- Australia
- China, Korea
- Japan
Maps featuring all regions above are currently in development. The details on maps will be announced upon the release of each particular update.

Notice! Release plans stated above are subject to change. Only the most important features are listed.

By the way, 6.7 update is planned to be released later this week.
Stay with us and you won't miss anything!

Rohan Offers Insight into MMO Problems

I've been following Rohan at Blessing of Kings for some time and usually find his insight into MMO games to be well thought out and often accurate. His latest post on the inherent problems facing MMO games in relation to its player base (transient and extended players), and thier raiding habits is a good estimate into the problems when you try to merge two different types of players into one format.   

The single biggest problem with the endgame of WoW is that it persists in believing that if the incentives are just right, Transient players will transform into Extended players, and everything will work out properly. But this transformation never occurs.
I encourage everyone to read the whole post to fully understand his point of view and the subsequent debate occuring in the comments offers some good points on the subject. 

WoT Operation Avalanche Special

Another World of Tanks Special is set to drop this weekend, this time in commemoration of Operation Avalanche. This one is a little thin on the goodies when compared to others, but the 5 times first win bonus is always welcome and if you need another garage slot now is the time as they are 50 percent off.

Here is the official release info from the post.

Operation Avalanche played a significant role in World War II. The main objectives of the Operation were to seize the port of Naples to ensure resupply, and to cut across to the east coast, trapping the Axis troops further south. On the 9th of September, about 450 ships partaking in Operation Avalanche assembled off the Salerno coast. The fighting units had sailed from various places, and in order to achieve surprise, there was no preliminary naval or aerial bombardment.

World of Tanks is happy to inform tankers that the Operation Avalanche Special will be held within World of Tanks from September 9th till September 12th, 2011!

Starting from 4:30AM PDT (7:30AM EDT), September 9th, and till 4:00AM PDT (7:00AM EDT), September 12th, all our brave tankers will enjoy the following offers:

· Crew training rates doubled!

· The experience for the first victory of the day increases by 5 (!) times!

· 50% discount on slots!

Do not miss this great opportunity to enhance your crew training and stock up with more space for your steel beasts!

Enjoy the Special and stay tuned!

Bree-Land, Tiger II and 1914 Tournament

Been a while since I updated the comings and goings of my online adventuring so I figured I'd indulge in a quick post to get caught up.

LOTRO

I have started playing a little more as the fire of quest running has been relit within. Good thing for me LOTRO is loaded with plenty of quests that have had me running from one edge of the map to the other. So far most of the denizens of Middle Earth seem friendly enough, however I am completely convinced that none of them are capable of doing anything for themselves and if the world suddenly dried up of noble adventurers they would all perish from being incapable of caring for themselves. the Hobbits of Staddle are a particular lazy bunch.

I recently hit level 15 and one of the highlights was reaching the town Bree. Seeing this storied town of Tolkien lore was truly an enjoyable event as I spent quite some time exploring all of its nooks and crannies. Entering the Prancing Pony was especially neat. (Yes I am a card carrying member of the Geekdom nation.) I have also discovered that I have a lot to learn as there is quite a few traits and abilities to understand, as well as crafting has taken some doing.

World of Tanks

I can't really understand why my Tier 8 Tiger II tank is so bad. Statistically it is on par with the rest of my tanks around the 47 percent win rate, but I often find myself being destroyed rather quickly in matches. I don't have this problem with other tanks I use so I don't believe my deaths can all be attributed to my poor play. The gun I am using appears weak as I often have trouble penetrating other tanks in my tier range, including side and rear shots and because I have chosen not to pay for a premium account at this time the tank is a huge credit sink as even on a win I am only making around 1000 credits. It's a shame really as it has soured me on this game somewhat as this was the tank I was looking forward to playing the most.


Supremacy 1914

Just got back into this browser game after an extended break and it appears just in time for the next tournament. the nations I received in the three separate matches are Ottoman Empire, Morocco and Austria-Hungary. Not a bad group of nations to start with so I think I may do well this time and hopefully get out of the first round.

STO Going F2P

The time I spent playing Star Trek Online was a mixed bag of fun and Disappointment. On the one hand I really enjoyed the space combat and featured episodes, while the Ground combat and PVP left much to be desired. It was becuase of the problems in the game that I decided to stop playing it as I felt my gaming money could be better spent else where.

Now it appears I don't have to worry about paying if I want to play, as earlier this week Cryptic let it be known that STO was going to a F2P model. I think this is a wise move for them as it should breath new life into the game and allow it to grow more. I am sure I'll be checking back in once the F2P model hits.

Cryptic has posted a website to give some basic details about the new system and from the looks of it the free version will let you do quite alot, just with some limitations. Bag and bank space will be smaller as well as some restrictions on chat, mail and Support.

Either way this is a great chance for those who wanted to try the game out, but didn't want to pay for it.

WoT Patch 6.7 Notes

World of Tanks 6.6 - 6.7 patch notes:

• Added new German light tank tier 5: VK2801;
• Added new Soviet light tanks: T-50 (tier 4) and Т-50-2 (tier 5);
• Added new American tanks: light tank M24 Chafee (tier 5) and medium tank Sherman Jumbo (M4A3E2) (tier 6);
• Added Chinese premium medium tank Type 59 (tier 8);
• Added new map Fishing Bay;
• Fixed bugs with tanks: T92, PzV Panther, PzV PzIV, Pz38 NA, T-54;
• Fixed bugs with maps: Steppes, Westfield, Lakeville, Siegfried Line;
• Slightly increased the suspension capacity of Maus;
• Changed certain spots in models of damaging of Е-50 and Е-75 tanks: above-track rack, thickness of range-finding device cap;
• Rebalanced parameters of American SPGs and several SPGs of other tank trees.

WoT New Map "Fishing Bay" ScreenShots

Overlord released some screen shots of a new map expected to be released in patch 6.7. One thing I deffinately like about WoT's Developers is the frequency at which they release new content. A new map about once a month keeps the game fresh.