Learning from BF4

In a meeting with investors, transcribed by Seeking Alpha, Söderlund was asked if there were "lessons learned there that give you confidence that you won't have similar issues with Titanfall".

"When Battlefield 4 launched, it was a very complex game, launching on 2 entirely new console platforms, as well as current-gen and PC," Söderlund replied.

"We were pushing innovation heavily and we're delivering 60 frames per second gameplay for 64 players plus the ability to connect via mobile tablet as a commander into the product, coupled those with some very innovative features in the gameplay side.

"Based on our pre-launch testing, our beta performance, we were confident the game was ready when it was launched. Shortly after launch, however, we began hearing about problems from our player community, and the development team quickly began to address the situation.

"So what have we done since we encountered the problems is we were fortunate to have an architecture in place that allows us to adjust and update the game rapidly, and that's actually what we've done."

Söderlund continued on to say the challenges DICE and EA faced with Battlefield 4 were somewhat unique, and a result of launching a game on a massive scale.

He also said that the publisher is "taking multiple steps" to use what it has learned to make future game launches much smoother.

"The challenge that we've faced with Battlefield 4 were different from anything that we've seen before with other games," he said. "There were different issues that only manifest its scale in the post-launch live environment.

"We're taking multiple steps to evaluate what occurred and incorporate those learnings into our development process for future products, so we don't experience the same problems again."

Respawn Entertainment head Vince Zampella recently confirmed aTitanfall beta is coming for Xbox One and PC

. Although a specific date for the testing phase hasn't been revealed, fans have been promised more "details in the coming days".

2014!

2014 Could Be The Best Year Of Gaming Yet

There’s no denying that 2013 shaped up to be a pretty great year for video games, with loads of stand-out titles keeping players entertained for hours on end and two new consoles making their way to market. But from where we’re sitting right now, 2014 could be primed to become one of the best years in gaming history, period.

I wasn’t hugely keen on 2013 as it was happening, in terms of gaming. At a glance, it felt like the past 12 months simply weren’t delivering enough in terms of “OMG, everyone has to play this!” content. But then I sat down and got to digging into what 2013 really had to offer. I was stunned.

Not only did the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch this year, but both portable and console gamers had a veritable mountain of content to plow through last year, including a new BioShock game, a new Grand Theft Auto, a new Pokemon, a new Animal Crossing, a new Zelda, a new Mario Bros. and Naughty Dog’s beloved The Last of Us. That's only the tip of the iceberg. The year also included dozens of smaller, yet equally fantastic offerings on PSN and XBLA like Brothers, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, and Guacamelee. The PC, meanwhile, was flooded with indie darlings such as Gone Home, The Stanley Parable, Papers, Please and Kentucky Route Zero.

So long as your tastes weren’t too narrow, there was a ridiculous amount of quality gaming to dive into last year, but 2014 will up the ante. While there likely won’t be as many major installments in established franchises like GTA and Mario, what we currently have on the itinerary is still massive in its own way. And there’s a nice mix, too, including noteworthy sequels, lots of new IPs and another veritable army of games marching out the door from independent developers. And this being January and all, I’m only talking about the games we currently know will likely be hitting shelves this year. There’s no telling what else might get piled onto the heap.

In the world of sequels, inFamous Second Son, Dark Souls 2, Bayonetta 2, Metal Gear Solid 5, The Witcher 3 anw and old glued to their TVs for the next 12 months. And then there are new games like Watch_Dogs, Titanfall, South Park: The Stick of Truth,Destiny and Bravely Default set to make waves. 

And as for those indies, we’re talking about The Witness, Hohokum, Transister, Hotline Miami 2, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and That Dragon, Cancer, just to name a few. There's also the wider release of 2013 battle hit, TowerFall: Ascension, to look forward to.

Honestly, we’re only seeing a fraction of the picture here. Who knows what PSN, XBLA, and free-to-play offerings will come out of nowhere to shock us? I’m already getting stressed out about trying to find time to play all of these games. That, of course, is a wonderful “bad” situation to be in.

So tell us, dear reader, how was your 2013 for gaming and, more importantly, what are you most looking forward to in the New Year?

Fallout 3 DRM

Fallout 3 GFWL DRM Removed

Just as a preamble: I haven't installed Fallout 3 to check this for myself, but the data shows that this has happened and there are first-hand reports indicating that yes, Bethesda has updated Fallout 3 and they have removed the Games For Windows Live DRM check-in.

The news comes courtesy of a Reddit post referencing a NeoGaf post where information from the Steam database app were uncovered, showing that Bethesda's update to Fallout 3 – which happened within the last 24 hours, as of the publishing of this article – included some removals to the software application. What was removed? CD-key checks.

As you can spot below in the changelog from the Steam database app – a nifty source for showing all the backend changes made to games on Steam – Fallout 3 had the CD-key check removed from its startup library:


Basically, the call function for the CD-key check, the registration location and the check to appear at the launch of the game have been completely removed.

Technically, this news isn't that big given that Fallout 3 was one of the lesser aggressors of DRM. Games For Windows Live was used passively and wasn't entirely required for game functionality like, say, Grand Theft Auto IV, Lost Planet 2, Batman orStreet Fighter IV.

One of the reasons some people were also somewhat lackadaisical about the news is because many of the mods for Fallout 3 disabled the GFWL check-in, so it wasn't quite as egregious as some other software titles out there that used Microsoft's DRM service.

Nevertheless, the fact that Bethesda has taken an ever-so-slight extra step to ensure that the game will function without Games For Windows Live is a reassuring and complimentary measure to show that they do care about the gaming community. They've also stated that the older Fallout titles will return to distribution portals after they were removed due to a change of hand in licensing; so they're definitely making all the right moves right now.

Still, we're now into 2014 and the countdown timer persists for many other games still utilizing Microsoft's DRM service. Capcom has been coy about their plans for removing the GFWL check-in, and many feel they'll lose access to these games by the time July 1st rolls around, which is the closing date for Microsoft's service.

Right now the biggest game that everyone wants off of GFWL is Dark Souls. Right now we still have no word on what Namco Bandai plans to do or what they'll do regarding one of the top selling games during the Steam winter sale. In addition to this, a lot of people are also concerned with GTA IV, but most of us have resolved to the belief that Rockstar probably doesn't care enough about the PC gaming community to go back and make the change.

Nevertheless, it's good to see publishers get pro-active about addressing the impending inactivity of DRM servers. Depending on how well publishers handle this transition will be telling as to whether or not they're mature enough and trustworthy enough for an all-digital future. 

DayZ

DayZ Standalone Videos: A Tale Of Two Robberies

Two videos are making the rounds for the recently released DayZ standalone. The videos depict the harsh realities of trying to survive in the unforgiving realm of a post-zombie apocalypse Chernarus. In one video we see how a robber uses niceties to get what he wants. In the second video we see how the robbers use deplorable tactics to get what they want and it ends in a way you don't expect.

The first video was spotted by Kotaku who picked it up off of /r/gaming on Reddit. It's entitled The Gentleman Bandit. There's a reason for that particular name and it's a befitting one.

The robber uses proper procedure for subduing and pilfering his target. He gently rustles the Jimmies of his victim by making him go through the humiliating process of standing in a corner with the hands up over his head and his equipment laid out on the ground. The robber explains what he's going to do and why; he takes only what needs and then leaves his victim. The experience was so fulfilling for the victim that he calmly asks... “Can I come with you?”

That's the kind of Stockholm syndrome that publishers wish they could get out of their fanbase whenever they introduce DRM.

The second video below is a lot more mean spirited. I should warn you, there is some deep rooted douche-nozzlery in the video that may make some of you uncomfortable, or inclined to perform one of, but not limited to, the following actions: Punch the screen in hopes of hitting the robber. Rage at the video creator. Down-vote the video into oblivion. Toss indiscernible criticisms at the bandits laced with equally objectionable obscenities. Log into DayZ, hunt the bandits down, kill them with an axe and then teabag the bodies while filming it.


Oh, that was some righteous justice at the end.

The feedback from the video has been quite vitriolic, however. As a lot of people were compelled to do some of what was listed above the video and the uploader, DMiTplays, issued the following response to all the criticism...

“Holy shit... All I did was upload this - it's an Alpha and we were messing around. I have supported DayZ since November 2012 and played it almost every day since. I love being friendly and I also love being a bandit. It's a sandbox game - we thought we would try something out for pure fun... The amount of role playing butthurt is incredible.

“I didn't mean to offend anyone with the video - it was just pure fun...”

We forgive you DMiTplays... well, all of us who don't live, eat and breathe DayZ. I'm sure you'll need to forever watch your back for bandit hunters from now on. Good luck, and may you survive well in the DayZ “alpher”.