Blizzard confirms Starcraft II will not have LAN support

In what is a rather disappointing move, Blizzard’s Rob Pardo has confirmed that Blizzard will not be shippping Starcraft II with support for LAN multiplayer games, and there are no intentions to introduce it at a later date.

Rob Pardo had this to say about the issue:

"we don’t have any plans to support LAN… we will not support it." 

Much of what arguably made the original game so successful was the ability to battle it out via LAN with friends, which I have fond memories of doing myself.  So this effectively means that the only multiplayer capability will be via online gameplay through Blizzard’s Battle.net matchmaking system.  Hopefully this isn’t the start of a trend, as proper multiplayer (both offline and online) is a standard that most players have come to expect from games for a number of years now.

Via:  Kotaku

TF2 receives another spit & polish

Coming pretty soon after the last TF2 update a couple of days ago, Valve have released another update today bring with it some fixes and reverting one of the changes made to the knock back effects against disguised spies.

The main things of note are that the Force-A-Nature and airblast from the Flamethrower now once again affect disguised spies.  Valve have also confirmed two changes that were made in the previous patch but weren’t noted, specifically the Ambassador can no longer shoot through buildings and the speed penalty on the Razorback unlock for Snipers has been removed

The full list of changes are as follows:

Linux Dedicated Server

- Improved connection logic to help servers that aren’t automatically reconnecting to Steam, and added extra logging to track it
- Added extra data gathering to help us understand and improve Linux performance

Team Fortress 2

- Changed cl_flipviewmodels so it can no longer be set while connected to a server
- Fixed problem with Loadout Menu "Back" button not preserving the currently equipped weapon
- Fixed a case where an observer could set the observed player’s view models
- Fixed the Heavy’s punches not matching mouse button presses when the view models are flipped
- Fixed Bonk! ammo count exploit after using a regeneration locker
- Fixed Dead Ringer damage reduction exploit involving Spy taunting
- Reverted Force-A-Nature and airblast knockback on disguised Spies, so that they can once again be knocked back

Missed notes from previous update

- The Ambassador no longer penetrates buildings
- Removed the movement speed penalty on The Razorback

As you were.

Valve add custom campaign support to Left 4 Dead

Valve has this morning released an update to Left 4 Dead fixing a number of bugs and exploits, but most importantly bringing with it support for custom campaigns!

We’ve started a forum thread here that you can use to suggest custom campaigns to be added to the 3FL servers.  But before you do that, you can read the full list of changes just below:

Client:
- Removed an infinite ammo exploit for molotovs

Add-on Campaign Support:
- Players download third party campaigns as single .VPK file
- Players can manage and select add-on maps and campaigns via game UI
- Added matchmaking support and download/update prompt for add-on campaigns
- Custom campaign support in Leader boards
- If not already registered, left4dead.exe registers .VPK extension to allow automatic install of add-ons
- Servers and the steam API have been extended to allow servers to send up a list of keys for matchmaking up to 1200 bytes in size

Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools:
- Fixed missing fgd error
- Added vpk.exe command line tool for extracting, creating, and appending .VPK files
- Removed info_versus (not used)
- Added info_gamemode which fires outputs for Coop, Versus or Survival depending on what game mode the map is loaded in
- Updated tutorial_standards example map, repackaged as ‘Dead Line’ campaign example add-on
- Sample content now includes source files for official maps

Restarting your Steam client should pick up the update if it hasn’t already.

Australian Government wishes to filter video games too

Kotaku are reporting that the Australian Government wants to extend their internet filter plan to include sites that sell or provides games which are not suitable for 15 year olds.

This could include not only sites that sell games that were refused classification in Australia, but browser based games and even potentially MMOs that do not meet approval.

It would be interesting to know how this would effect Steam if it ever contained a game that was refused classification in Australia or WoW if it had an expansion that didn’t gain approval.

Source: Kotaku

TF2 update released, fixes a plethora of issues

Valve have released an update to Team Fortress 2 this morning that includes quite a large list of fixes, including some class specific ones.  Whilst you’re restarting your Steam client to get the update, you can read the following list of changes:

General
- Added an option to the advanced multiplayer menu to select left or right handed view models
- Fixed a bug where a spectator’s wearable items could be seen floating around the player they were spectating
- Fixed a bug where a fake Spy hand would appear on the screen of other players
- Custom death animations now only play 25% of the time
- Fixed teleporters not being build-able in some places where they should be (such as within the pit at the end of Badwater Basin)
- Fixed rare client crash on connection and level change
- Removed refract from water ripples caused by bullet impacts for performance reasons
- Added log entries for player extinguished events using the medigun, jarate, flamethrower and dispenser
- Started tracking localization settings to help make decisions regarding localization in the future
- Fixed the blank progress bar in the upper-left of the screen when the client scheme is reloaded

Mapmaker requests
- Added spawn flag to func_respawnroomvisualizer that allows it be non-solid to players
- Added SetSolid input to func_respawnroomvisualizer to change solidity to players dynamically
- Added OnWonByTeam1 and OnWonByTeam2 outputs to the TFGamerulesProxy

Sniper
- Fixed a bad detection case in the "Friendship is Golden" achievement
- Changed the description of the "Triple Prey" achievement so it better describes how to get it
- Critical arrows now have a trail and correctly deal enhanced damage
- The Huntsman now defaults to be right handed
- Friendly arrows will no longer trigger the near miss sound on you
- Fixed several sources of floating arrows

Spy
- Fixed disguised Spies occasionally looking like they have invulnerability, instead of the correct fake Spy mask
- Disguised spies will no longer lose their disguise weapon when they interact with a weapon locker
- Fixed a bug where the spy’s watch would randomly change models during play
- Fixed uncloaked spies flickering in and out of the cloak effect when taking damage
- The Cloak and Dagger now always regenerates at its intended rate. Previously it only regenerated at the correct rate when the spy was cloaked
- Increased the Cloak and Dagger regeneration rate slightly
- Capped the rate of energy loss from moving faster than run speed (falling / air toss) while cloaked with the Cloak and Dagger
- The Dead Ringer’s cloak consume rate has been slightly reduced, giving about an extra second of cloak time on a full meter
- Emerging from the Dead Ringer’s cloak now drains up to 40% of the cloak meter instead of 100%. This drain only happens if the meter is at least 60% full
- The Dead Ringer’s cloak meter can now be regenerated from ammo sources
- The Ambassador now only crits when fully accurate and no longer penetrates enemies
- The Spy can no longer change weapons from the knife while shocked by the Razorback
- Force-A-Nature & Flamethrower air blast knockback effects no longer work on disguised spies
- Fixed disguised Spies showing the wrong teleporter effects when using an enemy teleporter

So there you have it, all of the 3FL TF2 servers have been updated so you can get back to it asap!

Activision Blizzard warn Sony

In what is a rather interesting shot across the bow at Sony, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has warned that they may stop releasing games for the Playstation 3 and PSP platforms.

On what is probably a pretty big slap in the face to Sony, Kotick had the following comment to make on the issue:

"I’m getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don’t make it easy for me to support the platform.." 

Kotick goes on to cite that the Playstation 3 is a more expensive platform to develop for (with the competition being the 360, Wii and PC), and that Activision have already paid Sony somewhere in the realms of $US500 million in royalties so far for titles they have shipped.  So it’ll be interesting to see how Sony react, given that Activision Blizzard are one of the biggest game publishing/development companies out there, so its something they do need to take seriously.

The momentum of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 from the hardcore console gamers market is rather unassailable currently, and with the Nintendo Wii dominating the casual/family gaming market, there isn’t much room for the Playstation 3 at the moment given its a much more expensive console to purchase.  Sales being made off the back of the PS3 being the "cheapest" Blu-Ray player are likely to vanish if they haven’t already, with a number of manufacturers having standalone Blu-Ray players at pricepoints that make them far cheaper than picking up a PS3 now.

With the current global economic conditions, many people are looking for cheap stay at home entertainment and the Playstation 3 really wouldn’t be high on the shopping list with its current $700 price tag.  It’ll be interesting to see if Sony reacts in a positive manner.

Via:  Gamasutra

DRM loosened on Neverwinter Nights 2

IGN are reporting that the DRM restrictions on Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate have been relaxed. 

According to the article the 3 activations limit, which has caused a good deal of grief for fans of the game with multiple PCs has been dropped.  Instead they have reverted to requiring just a one-time activation and then the ability to install as often as required.

Unfortunately the article is not clear on how this affects other expansions and the core game going forward, but any relaxing of DRM is a positive step.  Hopefully it is also an indication that publishers are realising just how much DRM alienates paying customers.

Source: IGN

Bethesda adds more to Steam Lineup

Bethesda Softworks has now released 3 titles to Steam:

* The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition
* The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind Game of the Year Editions
* The Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Oblivion is also being sold in a Deluxe version containing a few extra pieces of DLC, including the various strongholds, the horse armour pack and a few bonus side-quests.

As an added bonus, for the first week of them being on sale they are being sold at 20% off.

Flash Game Friday: Airport Madness II

Looking for something to do on an otherwise boring Friday whilst waiting for the weekend to finally arrive? Well maybe our section Flash Game Friday has something for you.

This week you get to play Air Traffic Controller trying to manage planes as they land and take off. Airports come in a variety of configurations and as you advance planes can come in thick and fast.

Play Airport Madness II!

Neverwinter Nights jumps on MMO Bandwagon?

It is currently rumoured that Atari’s next big project may be a Neverwinter Nights MMO to be released sometime in 2011.

If the rumours are true it would be a logical progression from the previous 2 Neverwinter Nights games. In each version fan made mods have included "persistent worlds", basically simple fan run MMO style campaigns.

The real questions are just how much of a rewrite would be required to achieve this and more importantly if the company can afford the upfront infrastructure costs and ongoing maintenance required to run a successful MMO, considering they have had many financial problems recently.

Source: IGN