DICE improving Battlefield 4's core gameplay, Rush mode, Dragon's Teeth DLC

Through DICE's Community Test Environment, an initiative for players to help develop and improve Battlefield 4's experience, the developer is testing and rolling out improvements for the game's Rush mode, Dragon's Teeth DLC and core gameplay.

According to a Battlelog post by associate producer David Sirland, DICE will start making changes to Battlefield 4's core gameplay beginning with improvements and fixes related to the new Dragon's Teeth expansion pack. The expansion will launch with fixes made to its new Ballistics Shield, where its bash damage has been tweaked and is no longer possible to one-hit kill enemies and single tank AP-rounds now kill players carrying the Ballistics Shield.

The developer is currently testing out changes to Rush mode in CTE to increase its balance and flow. The new changes are being tested on the Siege of Shanghai, Zavod 311 and Operation Locker to start with. General tweaks to Rush include the removal of commander by default, radar sweep has been reduced around attackers base, changes to MCOM placement and cover passes.

Additional areas of improvements that the developer will be looking at in the future through the initiative includes general weapon balance and suppression tuning, 3P head-flinch dampening, visual recoil ADS tuning, vehicle tuning/balance, HUD improvements and bug fixes. Continued tweaks to Obliteration Competitive and Conquest small will made. You can find out more about the changes in the video above.

DICE began recruiting Battlefield 4 PC players in May to help test possible patches and ideas to the title before rolling them out on all platforms. The developer hopes to improve the overall quality of the game through CTE where it can collect player feedback early on in the design process.

Through CTE, the developer tested out and released updates to the game's Netcode in June. The updates included improvements with player-to-player interactions within the game such as registering damage done to others. The developer also tweaked the game's general networking capabilities and the "tickrate" of its servers.

Battlefield 4 launched for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One last fall and has been plagued with ongoing issues since its release. To date, DICE has published numerous patches for the game across all platforms and delayed some DLC to focus on improving the game's quality.

 Source: Polygon
 

Pier Solar HD delayed again due to certification hiccups

The release date for Pier Solar HD, the Kickstarted remake of homebrew 2010 role-playing game Pier Solar and the Great Architects, has been pushed back again due to the certification process on its planned various platforms, developer WaterMelon announced.

"Microsoft already evaluated Pier Solar as well but we failed some internal requirements on the certification and we're correcting them for the next submission," the blog post reads. "This also impacts Wii U and PlayStation(s) submissions since we want to send it as clean as possible so that we don't get another failed certification. Luckily, the process doesn't take as long as we thought, so the perspectives to getting a release date gets better. As soon as we're certified on all platforms we'll announce the date and put it on the street."

Valve approved the title for sale on Steam in March and WaterMelon may contact some players who registered for beta to test the game on Steam soon. WaterMelon is submitting Pier Solar HD for PEGI rating for release in the European market, which "is slightly more complex than ESRB." The developer stated that it is also currently working to get a publisher to release the title in Japan that could lead to the title having a publisher for Xbox 360.

The developer's blog updates also outlines new side quests, save system changes, new music, achievements, battle system, graphic enhancements, the game's Director's Cut that features an extended story and more.

In a backers-only update to its Kickstarter campaign in May, the developer announced that it was aiming to launch the game before the start E3 2014 on June 10. The delay was largely attributed to last-minute improvements, features and patching up a few last-minute bugs, along with the game's ongoing certification process on various platforms. Previously, the game was delayed from its initial launch window of March to April.

Pier Solar HD was funded through a $139,000 Kickstarter campaign in December 2012, pulling in a total of $231,370 in contributions. The title is in development for Android, Linux, Mac, Ouya, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Windows PC and the Sega Dreamcast. A Nintendo 3DS version is a possibility.

Source: Polygon 

Game About Being A Jerk Cat Reaches Kickstarter Goal, Of Course

Catlateral Damage, also known informally around these parts as Jerk Cat Simulator as it has you play as a cat who knocks things over, has achieved its $40,000 funding goal on Kickstarter with 12 days to spare, and is now setting its sights on a PS4 version in addition to the PC and Ouya editions.

Now that it's secured funding, we can examine the project's stretch goals. Aside from the PS4 version at $100k, the team is also aiming for bonus levels in a grocery store, a museum and a pet store, and at $70k they'll add Steamworks integration for easier modding. 

Catlateral Damage is aiming for launch in November of this year.

Source: Kotaku

The Honest Modern Warfare Trailer, Now With More Underage Racists

I've been waiting for Smosh to do an Honest Game Trailer for Call of Duty's Modern Warfare trilogy, and they do not disappoint. "Suit up for the least realistic war franchise since Contra."

My favorite moment comes during the multiplayer montage, when everything goes a little crazy. It's the most accurate representation of the feeling I get during those rare moments when I find myself on top of a game that I don't even need the real thing anymore

Source: Kotaku

 

Somebody Is Making a 'Real' Dubstep Gun From Saints Row IV

DeviantArtist KazeXenami has built/is building a dubstep gun that should someday look like the one from Saints Row IV, and it appears that it could be kinda/sorta/theoretically partially functional, even.

This dubstep gun does have speakers that are intended to work, but it's difficult for my elderly eyes to figure out if it might cause explosive wubs. I'd encourage you younger folks to examine the gallery for clues. 

Anywho, here's a couple other shots of the work in progress. And you can click through to the gallery for some more.

Source: Kotaku

EA CEO Wilson: Dungeon Keeper Mobile Was 'A Shame'

EA's recent attempt to reboot Dungeon Keeper as a free-to-play mobile thing didn't go so well, at least in terms of public perception, as the game carries a 42 on Metacritic and is generally considered to be the end of gaming.

And when Eurogamer asked new EA CEO Andrew Wilson about it, the man owned up to it. "For people who'd grown up playing Dungeon Keeper there was a disconnect there. In that aspect we didn't walk that line as well as we could have. And that's a shame..

But will EA learn something from this? Wilson says yeppers.

"And as we look forward, the two lessons we get are, one, where you are dealing with IP that has existed in the past, even though you're reinventing it for a new audience, you have to do your best to stay true to its essence. And that's a challenge. The Star Trek J.J. Abrams was very different from the first season I watched, but I still felt good about it.

"The second is, when you're thinking about any business model, premium, subscription, free-to-play, value has to exist. Whether it's a dollar, $10, $100 or $1000, you have to delivering value, and always err on the side of delivering more value, not less."

Wilson does have many other things to say about ways EA can improve moving forward, and he explained those plans to our bossman Stephen at E3, so you'll want to check that out if you haven't already.

Side note here, since I did that thing earlier where I asked about what games people like that they aren't supposed to like: I have been playing Dungeon Keeper Mobile for like three months now. I generally only play tablet or phone games while having a cigarette, and for those short bursts I can enjoy it. That's all I have to say on this matter!

Source: Kotaku

All The Info There is About The Original Doom In One Video

The good people at Did You Know Gaming have put together a new video all about the original Doom, that contains literally (not actually literally) 100 percent of everything there is to know about the classic shooter. Now's a good time for this, especially if you're going to QuakeCon next month and want to impress everyone there with all sorts of cool knowledge about the franchise's history after Doom 4 is (probably, maybe, hopefully?) officially revealed there. So enjoy this, while you have a break from absurd World Cup drama for the moment.

Source: Kotaku

The New Super Smash Bros. Theme On Eight Kazoos

Delightful childhood memories, or your brain being devoured by incredibly dramatic bees? The theme music for Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS on kazoo delivers a different gift to every listener. 

Having already recreated the Isaac battle theme from Golden Sun and "Big Blue" from F-Zero on the kazoo, YouTube artist Tsuko G. sets his sights on a game that isn't at least thirteen years old already.

Source: Kotaku

 

Cat simulator hits its funding goal, considers PS4 version

Catlateral Damage, the quirky, first-feline swatter that emerged from a game jam, cleared its Kickstarter funding goal of $40,000 with 12 days left and now is considering adding bonus levels and, potentially, a PlayStation 4 version.

Developer Chris Chung announced the stretch goals when the game cleared its target on Thursday. Bonus levels (including a supermarket and a museum) will be added at $48,000 and $56,000, and if the project hits $100,000, Chung will build a PS4 edition, to be released six months after Catlateral Damage arrives on Steam and Ouya. All backers would be able to choose whichever version they prefer.

In Catlateral Damage, the player is a cat and the goal is to knock over as many household items as possible in the alotted time, racking up a higher score as the destruction piles on. A browser-based demo is playable here.

Source: Polygon

Sniper Elite 3 keys stolen, canceled, buyers left to fend for themselves

Numerous keys for Sniper Elite 3 have been invalidated and their owners left practically empty handed after Steam and developing studio Rebellion discovered they were stolen and then re-sold to other vendors.

Rebellion is offering the "Target Hitler" DLC extension as a make-good for those affected, but as far as the full game, they're being told to contact the reseller and demand a refund. Neither Rebellion nor Steam are offering that.

Rebellion, in a forum thread now stretching more than 700 comments, explicitly held the resellers blameless. "One of our PC retail distributors informed us that some of their allotted Steam keys were stolen," Rebellion wrote. "We believe these keys were then resold to multiple companies, with no payments going to either Valve or the retail distributor."

Rebellion informed Steam of this, and Steam revoked these keys.
"We have in no way targeted any specific vendors (who may have also thought these keys were legitimate)," Rebellion added, "just this one set of keys."

Rebellion is facing a storm of angry responses on the game's Steam page as well as the studio's Facebook page. The most it's offering is the DLC, on the understanding that some may have preordered these keys and, therefore, if they lose the game they would also lose "Target Hitler," which for now is available only as a preorder incentive.

Buyers of the revoked keys have until July 4 to claim that DLC.

"All we can suggest if you have been affected is to please contact your vendor and first ask for a replacement key, and then contact us for the free pre-order DLC if you are successful," Rebellion wrote.

Source: Polygon

New Naruto game, western Tales of Xillia 2 playable at Anime Expo 2014

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, due to launch on Sept. 8, will be playable at Bandai Namco's booth, along with Tales of Xillia 2, Tales of Hearts R at the Anime Expo 2014, beginning Thursday in Los Angeles.

Other games with playable demos at the Namco booth will include One Piece Unlimited World Red, Short Peace: Ranko Tskuigme's Longest Day, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn, and Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment.

A panel scheduled for Thursday afternoon will feature producers of Tales of Xillia 2 (due for a western release in August) and Sword Art Online to discuss the localization and development of both games.

Tournaments for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst also will be held. Anime Expo 2014 will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. For more information, see the expo's official site.

Source: Polygon

Dreamfall Chapters goes episodic in order to deliver something to backers this fall

Dreamfall Chapters, the Kickstarter-funded sequel to the 2006 adventure game Dreamfall, will adopt an episodic format in order to deliver backers something this fall, the game's creators announced on Friday.

Dreamfall Chapters, funded on Kickstarter with more than $1.5 million in donations, originally eschewed the episodic approach, despite its title. "The creative process is unpredictable, however," wrote Ragnar Tornquist, creative director for developing studio Red Thread Games, "and the story we're telling has turned out to be bigger and more ambitious than first envisioned.

"We're not on track to meet the release date we estimated a year and a half ago, and we've had to take a long, hard look at our schedule and budget," he wrote.

Five episodes are planned. Those who backed Dreamfall Chapters by Kickstarter and PayPal will receive all five free. New customers will be able to purchase a season pass on Steam, GOG and the Humble Store. Dreamfall Chapters will be released on PC, Mac and Linux.

"We could have made deep cuts, removed a lot of the characters, story-lines and locations — but we would have ended up with a different game than the one that's played inside our heads for the better part of a decade, a different game than the one we've promised our backers," Tornquist wrote. "We've also realised that while, as a small studio, we are capable of producing a massively ambitious game like Dreamfall Chapters, we're not satisfied with our ability to properly finish, polish and bug fix the whole game in one go.

"By releasing Book One this autumn, we hope to start generating income, all of which will go right back into improving the quality and scope of subsequent books," he said.

For more on the nearly two-year development of Dreamfall Chapters, see Polygon's in-depth profile of Tornquist and Red Thread Games.

Source: Polygon

Summer Games Done Quick raises more than $700,000

Summer Games Done Quick, the mid-year fund raiser of Speed Demos Archive, nearly tripled the amount it raised in 2013, hauling in $713,000 over a week long stretch, the proceeds of which go to Doctors Without Borders.

Speed Demos Archive announced the figure today over its Twitter account, noting that the Games Done Quick campaign has raised more than $2.75 million lifetime.

"To see what we have been able to accomplish in just four years since then is nothing short of incredible. We love you all!" the organizers tweeted.

Summer Games Done Quick also partnered with Humble Bundle during the drive, with more than $82,000 raised from the sale of 10 indie games.

Source: Polygon

Kerbal Space Program tries out paid referral program

Kerbal Space Program is experimenting with a partnership program through which gamers who refer others to the engineering-and-spaceflight simulator receive some cash for the evangelism.

The program is focused to externally hosted content — that is, YouTube, livestreaming services and mods or other constructions - and requires that someone referred to Kerbal's store buys a copy.

It's a test program, KSP's creators emphasize. "We are going to see how this works and decide after a period of time if it is something we will continue. We reserve the right to cap the number of participants, to change the program, including ending it."

Those interested need to register here.

Source: Polygon

Korg brings a new synthesizer to 3DS this fall

Korg's latest music-making app, Korg DSN-12, comes to the Nintendo 3DS via the eShop in September, the synthesizer maker announced this week.

Korg DSN-12 follows 2008's Korg DS-10 for the DS and 2010's Korg M01D for the 3DS. It's not a game, per se, but an emulator of an analog synthesizer the user plays using the touch screen and buttons. Korg DSN-12 offers 12 monophonic synthesizers — "inspired by Korg's legendary MS-10 analog synthesizer," the company says — and lets users apply three effects from a list including delay, chorus, flanger, compressor, kick, and reverb. Users may also exchange song and sound data locally.

It's "the world's first 3D display oscilloscope screen," too, Korg promises. Pricing has not yet been announced.

Source: Polygon