Gamer's Outpost Press (Archived)

by Chris Morris

A 32-year-old gamer in Taiwan is dead after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest during a 72-hour gaming binge.

The man, who has only been identified by his surname “Hsieh,” was found sprawled on a table in an Internet café. Authorities say it’s unclear how long he had lain there before being discovered, but they suspect several hours.

“He has been unemployed for a long time, and Internet cafes were the only place he could go to,” said Jennifer Wu, a police spokesperson from the Hunei district precinct. “His family said he would disappear for two to three days on end.”

Other gamers in the café reportedly continued playing – even when police and paramedics arrived on scene. That might sound harsh, but officials say Hsieh was a regular at the café and would often sleep face down or slumped in his chair, so it’s possible few realized the severity of the situation.

The cold temperatures maintained in the café and the stress of playing and sitting in the same position for an extended period of time are the likely contributors to the death. Deep vein thrombosis, a condition marked by blood clots in the legs, has been linked to several gaming-related deaths over the years.

Hsieh’s death is the second Internet café catastrohphe in Taiwan this year. Five days before Hsieh was discovered, another man was found dead in Taipei after playing an online game for five consecutive days. Taiwan has an unfortunate history when it comes to gamer deaths. 2012 saw a pair of deaths from players who didn’t know when to call it quits and take a break.

Deaths in Internet cafes are rare, but happen from time to time when players concentrate so intensely on their games that they ignore factors like the body’s need for sleep and food.

The deaths underscore the risk of game addiction, which more and more people are becoming worried about as the industry grows.

by Daniel Terdiman

Anybody can make Mario, Nintendo’s world-famous little plumber, race through the Mushroom Kingdom, chasing coins. But what if Mario could do it on his own?

That’s the goal of the Mario AI Project: to develop an artificially intelligent Mario agent that becomes aware of himself and his environment, and which can make decisions about what to do based on spoken instructions.
Built by members of the Cognitive Modeling Group at Germany’s University of Tubingen, the Mario AI Project has released a video demonstrating and explaining the initiative. And while the team’s progress seems to be slow, it’s pretty cool to think of this most-famous of game characters having a will of his own.

Using Carnegie-Mellon’s Sphinx speech-recognition toolkit, the video’s narrator explains, Mario can understand a large number of English sentences and commands. Based on a huge logic and grammar tree the team built, he can answer things about what he knows based on what he’s been told, and can take actions based on what he’s learned.

He can even make decisions based on his emotions, or his needs. For example, if Mario’s hungry, he’ll chase coins. If he’s just feeling curious, he’ll explore the Mushroom Kingdom, autonomously gathering knowledge about items he doesn’t know much about yet.

Researchers clearly think that there’s gold, as it were, in applying AI to Mario. The Tubingen team’s project is not the first to work towards that goal. For several years, in fact, there even was a Mario AI Championship. The competition, which was conducted in association with several international conferences on computational intelligence and games, featured tracks on gameplay, learning, and level generation, and a Turing Test.

by Emanuel Maiberg

Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s next update will be available within the next few days, potentially a little later than initially planned, 343 Industries has announced.

343 Industries said that the content update is undergoing further testing, but for now it has released detailed notes on what the update will include. As it previously said, the update will focus on UI, matchmaking, game-specific multiplayer and campaign, controls, and stability.

“We continue to work on additional content updates that will include added improvements for matchmaking, parties, and other top community items,” 343 Industries said.

Below are the content update notes as written by 343 Industries.

MATCHMAKING:
Improved matchmaking search success rates.
Made an update to reduce instances of “Awaiting Privileges” matchmaking errors.
Made an update to ensure player counts more reliably match the expected numbers for each playlist.
Fixed an issue where player would sometimes appear to be searching in an incorrect “FIND GAME” screen.
Added countdown sound effect to the voting timer.

GENERAL MULTIPLAYER:
Made several improvements to party joining through the in-game Roster.
Made an update to ensure that the mute icon is visible while in Matchmaking.
Fixed an issue in Halo 4 where players could equip the same weapon as their primary and secondary weapons.

GENERAL CAMPAIGNS:
Made several improvements to stat tracking for Halo: CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4.
Made changes to Halo 3 and Halo 4 scoring to ensure that players are not penalized for destroying empty vehicles.

GENERAL MENU:
Lowered the music volume level in multiplayer menus.
Fixed an issue where friend emblems in roster would show up as default when exiting a game session.
Made updates to UI and menus to improve multiplayer status messaging, such as when a player joins your lobby.

CONTROL LAYOUTS:
Made an update to the Halo 2 Anniversary “Legacy” Stick Layout.

STABILITY:
Made stability improvements across multiple titles for campaign and multiplayer.

The Master Chief Collection launched in November, and immediately faced a number of networking issues that made the game near-unplayable for some. 343 has worked consistently since then to fix the game’s online woes, which have now been largely eradicated. In a bid to make it up to fans, Microsoft is giving Master Chief Collection owners a free copy of Halo 3: ODST and more.

by Eddie Makuch

Scalebound, the upcoming Xbox One-exclusive from Bayonetta 2 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance developer Platinum Games will “shock” you, according to a development manager at Microsoft. Creative director Ken Lobb appeared on the latest Inner Circle podcast, and, though he wouldn’t go into specifics about the game, he did say it’s a AAA title that has major ambitions.

“It’s you, and there’s dragons,” Lobb said about Scalebound. “Monster Hunter-esque, no. Monster Hunter is kind of weird and grindy. I like it, but no. You have to think, what does Platinum do well? That’s what they’re building. What do we do well? That’s what we’re adding. And yes, these are dragon companions. God, they are awesome [gasps].”

Lobb explained that players will be able to see more of Scalebound and play it later this year, though he wouldn’t say when the game will launch. Microsoft typically brings its big games to shows like E3 and PAX, which might be what Lobb meant when he said it will be playable this year.

“Scalebound is very real and very awesome,” he said. “And I think when people really understand what it is we are building, they’re gonna be shocked. It is definitely big, AAA.”

Lobb went on to praise Platinum Games and its director, Hideki Kamiya. He even went as far to boast that Platinum has “an opportunity to make a ‘Game of the All-Time,’ as lots of people like to call it. Yeah, it’s special.”

The interviewer speculated that Scalebound might be an open-world RPG, to which Lobb replied: “Really good guess.”

Also in the interview, Lobb recalls Platinum’s original pitch for Scalebound, saying the developer was hoping Microsoft could help the studio make a game that succeeds on a global scale.

“One of the things that they had asked was .. they make these games that are 90-rated; they’re awesome games. But they’ve struggled to sell huge quantities worldwide,” Lobb said. “And they’re very self-aware. They understand that this is a mixture of good marketing, good PR, but also their understanding of the western audience.”

Lobb goes on to say that Platinum has been fairly insistent about tapping into Microsoft’s user research labs to ensure the game appeals to global tastes.

Scalebound was announced during Microsoft’s E3 briefing back in June 2014. Kamiya previously called it unlike anything he’s made before. One video for the game (above) has been released to date, and it shows a sword-wielding character fighting dragons

by Eddie Makuch

Video game retailer GameStop on Monday announced that its GameStop Technology Institute business unit has added a new partner: Microsoft. As part of the collaboration, GameStop will use Microsoft’s Azure cloud-powered network to take “retail innovation to the next level.”

The retailer adds that it will tap into Microsoft’s Azure, which is also behind some of the Xbox One’s cloud-powered services like those used to run Titanfall’s multiplayer, to “enhance the in-store engagement of its customers in interactive, informative, and entertaining ways.”

Specifically, GameStop said it will use the cloud platform to stream video game and promotional content directly to mobile devices. Thanks to the Microsoft Azure technology, GameStop shoppers will be able to view content such as trailers and promotional materials for games on their smartphones and tablets while in a store.

In addition, GameStop will use Microsoft Azure to stream game trailers to TVs within its stores, and to offer faster checkouts through a new in-store mobile shopping cart.

What’s more, GameStop says the new partnership with Microsoft will allow GameStop’s employees provide a more personalized shopping experience to customers who have opted in to receive and share information–such as previous buying history–through the Game Stop Technology Institute app.

Before today, GameStop had shown some reluctance to invest in streaming technology. The company had its own game streaming service, but shut it down last year, opting to instead support Sony’s Playstation Now. Today’s announcement with Microsoft, however, is of a different variety, as GameStop doesn’t plan to stream full games through Azure.

Announced in March 2014, the GameStop Technology Institute is a wide-ranging initiative that aims to remove the complexity of shopping and improving customer service overall.

by Paul Tassi

Lately pre-order bonuses and console-exclusive content have frustrated many gaming fans who feel like they’re getting the short end of the stick when it comes to new releases, unless they pledge their loyalty to an unreleased game months ahead of time. But today with 2K’s upcoming shooter Evolve, we have a console exclusive, pre-purchase bonus that’s causing something of a stir.

Evolve’s production has gone gold, and with that proclamation comes the now-mandatory open beta for the multiplayer game starting later this month. Ahead of that event, 2K and Turtle Rock have announced that Xbox One players who pre-order a digital copy of the game from the Xbox Live store will unlock instant access to the third tier of hunters in both the beta and the final release of the game, along with a new monster, the Wraith.

The major catch here is that a “pre-order” of a digital game in the Xbox store is really a straight-up pre-purchase, as you’re charged the full $60 for the game up front. It can be canceled any time ahead of launch, but it’s significantly more than the usual $5 GameStop down payment to be sure. Not to mention the very idea of pre-ordering a digital copy of the game now means we’re abandoning any pretense of logic regarding pre-ordering as a means to secure a launch copy of a game that might otherwise be sold out.

Past the concept of a pre-purchase, players are a bit perplexed about what’s actually being unlocked, and what it may say about the game itself. The core roles of the four hunters in Evolve never change (Medic, Assault, Trapper, Support), but as you go, different characters can be unlocked through enough gameplay. To get all the way to the third tier of characters requires a hefty amount of grinding, probably at least a ten hours per character class (plus the monster), if the alpha was any indication.

In other words, paying $60 up front is a free pass to skip a significant portion of what’s supposed to be the core progression system in the game. And compounding the strangeness of that, it’s an Xbox exclusive offer. The implication is that the grind is so bland and terrible, it’s an incentive to skip it directly with a pre-purchase.

There are a few schools of thought about this. One is that all games should come with everything accessible and not restrict content for those unwilling to invest dozens or hundreds of hours to unlock it. The other is that progression systems create a tangible sense of progress and something to work toward, which is why Call of Duty’s prestige and unlock system is so popular. But in this case, it would be like if you pre-purchased Advanced Warfare on Xbox and you got to start at the third prestige level. It might not unbalance gameplay necessarily, but what’s the point in skipping that progression at all? It’s like admitting your grind is so boring that you’re willing to allow people to play less of your game, when the ones who are pre-purchasing are probably the most devoted to it.

Evolve has more than a few other kinks to work out besides this. An actual pre-order bonus that’s been announced, a fourth monster, seems like a pretty significant piece of content to lock away. Past that, the progression system itself appears as if it will be heavily skewed against new players, with advanced level bonuses including rarely seen perks like flat damage and defense increases, things other games have forgone for the sake of balance. This means matchmaking will have to be incredibly spot-on, or newer players will find themselves getting dunked on by veterans. I already saw a bit of this in the Alpha, and it seems like it could snowball badly if left unchanged. But I suppose that’s what an open beta should sort out.

Evolve just seems to be in a weird place ahead of its upcoming launch. One of my concerns with the game in the alpha was its relatively sparse amount of content. A bare-bones multiplayer focus can work, like with Turtle Rock’s last game, Left 4 Dead, or it can fall flat like we saw with Titanfall. Given its somewhat limited scope, it seems dangerous to allow players to A) skip progression, B) hold too much additional content as pre-order bonuses or DLC or C) have too many alphas/betas. That last item isn’t really a consumer issue, but more of a judgement call. I’d just worry about players burning out on the game before it’s even released, as that’s verbatim what happened to me after a marathon week with the Titanfall beta. But I suppose it does give players a solid look as to whether or not they want to purchase the full box copy at launch, and I can’t fault the transparency of that.

I am willing to give Evolve a pass on a lot of issues, because I would like to see an original IP with a unique core concept succeed. But they’re losing the narrative with all this pre-order, pre-purchase nonsense. If they’re confident enough in their game to offer lengthy alphas and betas, they shouldn’t feel the need to bribe Xbox players to skip playing the game itself as a pre-purchase bonus. No part of that sentence projects confidence, and it just seems like the latest annoyance in companies pushing pre-orders, and now even pre-purchases, too damn hard.

Job listings for company’s new studio confirms development of undisclosed RTS sequel.

by Chris Mawson

Microsoft Game Studios are currently developing the ‘next installment in a beloved strategy game franchise’, according to a number of listings on their careers site.

According to the posts, the company’s Decisive Games team, which ‘is focused on world class strategy game development’, is hiring three senior software engineers to work on its latest project.

The job listings go on to request applicants with ‘familiarity of Direct X11 or Xbox 360/Xbox One rendering APIs’, effectively confirming a release on both PC and Xbox consoles.

The studio is hiring a generalist game development engineer and a senior tools engineer, but perhaps the most significant listing is a post for a senior client-server network engineer. This listing confirms a significant multiplayer component to the game, with successful applicants being responsible for ‘leading the networking and multiplayer aspects of gameplay, including both the real-time gameplay networking solution as well as supporting out-of-band systems such as matchmaking and grouping.’

The identity of the RTS game in question has yet to be confirmed. Some fans are speculating that it could potentially be a follow-up to 2008’s Halo Wars. Which strategy series sequel would you like to see Microsoft release? Let us know in the comments.

by Rob Crossley

Microsoft has issued new assurances over game ownership and DRM policies after a curious incident where some customers found themselves unable to play Far Cry 4.

On Monday, a select number of Xbox One owners who bought the digital copy of Ubisoft’s open-world shooter found that the game suddenly failed to load up. Even if they deleted and reinstalled Far Cry 4, their Xbox One would return the error code ‘0X87DE07D1’ and their console would then ask whether the game had been purchased.

Curiously, the error appeared to coincide with the game’s surprise, and seemingly accidental, removal from the Xbox One Marketplace. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Microsoft managed to re-list the game on the Xbox Live Marketplace, and users found that their boot problems had suddenly ceased.

This process would suggest that–in some, but not all, circumstances–playing the digital version of Far Cry 4 can be dependent on some kind of online verification, or automatic gating process, from Microsoft’s side.

In a statement sent to GameSpot, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “If customers own the rights to a game, they can visit their download history and initiate a re-download whenever they please–even if the game has been delisted from Xbox Store and is no longer available for purchase.”

However, with regards to digital games, Microsoft’s support page states that an Xbox Live connection is mandatory in certain circumstances:

The company writes: “If the game was purchased in digital form and the owner is unable or unwilling to enable sharing, the owner has to be signed in and connected to Xbox Live for that game to be played.”

Microsoft’s original plan for the Xbox One was that the console would require a persistent Internet connection, which would enrich the games with online-centric content and features, but also make digital authentication necessary. In May 2013, the Xbox executive Phil Harrison said this authentication process would occur on a daily basis.

However, following consumer upheaval, two months later Microsoft scrapped the policy, meaning the Xbox One can install and boot games with no required Internet connection.

by Jeff Grubb

One of the rarest video games on Earth is up for auction on eBay. But you’re gonna need quite a stack of cash if you want to get in on the action.

A factory-sealed copy of the North American version of Stadium Events for the Nintendo Entertainment System is up for sale on eBay. Bidding has already surpassed $22,000, with more than seven days left in the auction. Seller Menaceone listed the game for $5,000, and it jumped up to $22,100 after just 10 bids. That already makes it one of the most valuable games to ever go up on eBay. This marks a growing interest in classic, collectible video games.

The listing for this particular copy of Stadium Events notes that it is near-mint condition. It also come in an archival case that should protect it from the elements in the future.

So, what is Stadium Events and why is it so valuable? This is one of the first games to work with the Family Fun Fitness pad that developer Bandai released in the 1980s. Players could get up and jump up and down on the pads big foot-activated buttons, but Nintendo quickly acquired the technology from Bandai and rebranded the mat as the Power Pad. To prevent consumer confusion, the publisher put out a recall on the North American version of Stadium Events. Game historians believe that only 200 copies of this game ever reached consumers. Today, collectors estimate that fewer than 20 copies of this game exist. That makes the NA version of Stadium Events the rarest licensed NES release.

This isn’t the first time the game has gone up for auction. In 2011, another eBay seller got $22,800 for their factory-sealed version.

While the North American version of Stadium Events is extraordinarily rare, the European release is less so. That game, which debuted in 1987 in Germany and Sweden, now fetches a price of around $200 or more, depending on the condition.

by Ashley Lutz

Many people assume that GameStop will go the route of book, music, and video stores, reports Joshua Brustein at Bloomberg Businessweek. However, the videogame seller is determined to avoid being the next Blockbuster. And despite the criticism, GameStop has a “surprisingly happy” prognosis, according to Brustein.

Here’s how GameStop is bucking all the gloomy predictions:

Selling downloadable game content.

GameStop has been able to get customers in stores to purchase digital content. The company lets customers come in to download video games and other licensed products, such as other game levels.

“The chain is able to sell downloads in physical stores in part because many of its younger customers don’t have credit cards, which makes it hard to pay online, and because people want to use the trade-in value of games they’re done playing,” Brustein writes.

Becoming a social destination.

GameStop’s average customer is a “young, aimless” man, according to Businessweek. The retail locations have become a place where young men can socialize.

“We have people who shop at Amazon but come in here for the interaction,” a store manager tells Businessweek. “We say, “Look man, I get paid either way — I’m here to help you.’ That goes a long way.”

Being the leader in the industry.

GameStop’s competitors include Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon. There are no other major retailers who focus only on videogames. This expertise helps GameStop attract and retain more customers than the competition. The company also has trade-in and loyalty programs that are unrivaled by competitors, according to Businessweek.