Those who played the PC version of sci-fi shooter Crysis 2 online upon release know it suffered from cheaters.

Crytek UK, which created the multiplayer portion of the game, has combated many of the exploits and hacks used by those cheaters to gain an unfair advantage in the game – and ahead of its keynote at the Develop conference this week has revealed to Eurogamer how it did it, and how the cheaters gained a foothold in the first place.

Using hacks, players were able to give themselves extra points, trigger infinite energy cheats and exploit bugs that meant that you did not have to reload or suffer from recoil.

All of this contributed to an unfair advantage.

"We had patch windows open to us, and it was just about getting the right fixes into the right patches and getting them out to the community as soon as possible," Mark Tully, Crytek lead programmer, told Eurogamer.

"One thing we did have on our side on the PC, where most of the hacking was taking place, is the dedicated server program. That meant we had a load of trusted partners we could update the dedicated server software on. We probably updated that about four times for every client patch we updated the end user with.

"There was a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes to catch the cheaters at their dedicated servers and just kick them from the game. That's probably where a lot of the effort was.

"What people were seeing was, cheats that were working one day would suddenly not be working the next day even though nothing had apparently changed. It was just the server had been updated."

But how did Crysis 2, a triple-A, high-profile multi-platform game from a proven developer, ship with such a susceptibility to cheating?

According to Crytek UK, the developer simply didn't expect the game to get hacked on the scale it did.

"We did feel like the game seemed to attract a lot of attention from hackers and cheaters," Tully said. "More than we anticipated."

CryEngine 3, the Crytek-owned game engine used to create the game, also played a part.

"CryEngine as a whole is a very moddable thing," Tully explained. "It's a very flexible engine. Particularly on PC there are a lots of hooks that are perhaps left exposed that shouldn't be left exposed, which can leave you open to hacking if you're not careful.

"Obviously with the push onto consoles, which don't really suffer from the same kind of hacking and exploiting to the level they do on PC, it hadn't really been focused on as like, we need to go through the PC version with a fine tooth comb and close all these doors, many of which we weren't specifically familiar with, they weren't ones we'd actually added in multiplayer, but ones that had come with the CryEngine if you will.

"That was probably something we would have benefited from spending time on."

And if it could go back and create the game again, Crytek UK wouldn't repeat its mistakes.

"The things we've done post release are things if we'd thought about it beforehand and known it was going to happen, we could have done those," Crytek UK principal programmer Pete Hall explained.

"For example, on the PC, people were able to edit some of the data in the game and then go and play online, which wasn't our intention at all. It was as much a bug as anything else.

"Things like that we would definitely of fixed up in a heartbeat."

Now, four months after release, Crytek is happy with the state of Crysis 2's online multiplayer.

Crytek recently released a DirectX 11 patch for the PC version of the game, which allows those with powerful computers to ramp up the graphics.

This is the last patch scheduled by Crytek, Tully confirmed.

But the developer promised to dip back into support of the game if a hack emerges that demands attention.

"We're relatively happy with how things are at the moment," Hall said. "But there's always the thing with people cheating that they naturally are continually looking for an edge over other players. So new things will come to light and we probably will want to go back and look at them as they do.

"But I don't think there's anything we're aware of at the moment we desperately want to fix."

Crytek UK is heavily rumoured to be working on TimeSplitters 4 for the next-generation of home consoles.

The studio refused to confirm this was the case to Eurogamer, but did say a number of new projects are in the works, and vowed that they won't suffer from hacking and cheating in the same way Crysis 2 did.

"We've closed most of those now, so I wouldn't expect the same problems for future titles," Tully concluded.

"It's an ongoing battle with the hackers. There are a lot more of them than there are of us."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...at-the-hackers ...

Ubisoft has acknowledged that modern PCs offer developers " a lot more grunt" than Xbox 360 or PS3 - as the firm looks to "minimise the gap" between format versions of Far Cry 3.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com, lead FC3 designer Jamie Keen said: "The PC does have a lot more grunt under the hood - or it can have grunt - so there's a lot more that we can push there. That doesn't mean to say, 'Let's only push PC and leave the consoles behind.' We will keep pushing to get as much out of the consoles as we possibly can."

Despite noting the difference between the formats, Keen claimed that "people would be surprised" by how good FC3 looks on console, and that the difference "might not be as much as people realise".

He added: ""That's why we're making no bones about this being on PC, and everything that goes along with that. There are going to be areas where the consoles aren't going to be able to push things as much as the PC can.

"So, there is going to be a difference, but as much as we can minimise that gap, we're certainly working as hard as we possibly can to do that."

Keen's comments come after Ubisoft's production boss suggested that devs were being "extremely limited" by the long lifecycle of modern consoles.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...le-difference/ ...

Remember that incredible GTA IV PC mod that made Rockstar's crime opus look borderline photo realistic (in some areas at least)? Well, now it looks even better.

-The makers of the iCEnhancer mod have announced the release of version 1.25 and celebrated with a rather tasty trailer, which you can see below.


The last version of the mod already included new car models, high resolution textures, new visual effects, a zombie survival mode (oh yes), enhanced AI enabling NPCs to commit crimes and the ability to carry bodies.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...k-even-better/ ...

Remember the Xtion Pro and Wavi Xtion motion sensors that Asus showed off at CES? Well, fast-forward six months and there's already an updated model on the market: the Windows- and Linux-compatible Xtion Pro Live. The new version complements the original's IR and depth sensors with a Kinect-like VGA webcam and a pair of microphones, while also jacking up the bill to a distinctly un-Kinect-like 175 Euros ($300). That price tag won't make us shift our living room furniture around anytime soon, especially since Kinect is already officially heading to the PC. However, that isn't really the point: the Pro Live edition is primarily meant to help developers design better games and apps for the more consumer-focused but as yet unreleased Wavi. Soon as they develop a game that rewards rather than punishes us for dancing like Tina Turner, we'll be right there.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/18/a...-more-like-ki/ ...

EA's movie tie-in Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows has failed to replicate big screen success, only entering the UK charts at number seven in its debut week.

According to official monitor Chart-Track "it's by far the lowest ever sales in a launch week for a Harry Potter game, despite charting higher than Part 1, which came in at number 20 in November 2010."

505 Games' Zumba Fitness remains number one in the UK for its fifth consecutive week, and eight weeks at the top in total, boosted by a Wii version of the game.

Activision's Transformers: Dark of the Moon climbs one place to number two with only a 6 per cent drop in sales, while Codemasters' Dirt 3 drops to number three with a 25 per cent drop in sales.

Promotions for Call of Duty: Black Ops pushed sales up 35 per cent, and EA Sports Active 2 jumped back into the top ten at eight with a 338 per cent climb in sales.

Last Week This Week Title
1 1 Zumba Fitness
3 2 Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
2 3 Dirt 3
7 4 Call of Duty: Black Ops
4 5 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
12 6 LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
NEW ENTRY 7 Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2
RE-ENTRY 8 EA Sports Active 2
8 9 Brink
15 10 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
19 11 Dungeon Siege III
11 12 FIFA 11
5 13 L.A. Noire
RE-ENTRY 14 Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
14 15 Red Faction: Armageddon
13 16 UFC Personal Trainer
17 17 Wii Sports Resort
9 18 FEAR 3
RE-ENTRY 19 Mortal Kombat
RE-ENTRY 20 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...s-in-uk-charts ...

Valve will overhaul its Steam distribution platform with new server and client code.

The aim is to streamline the publishing process and provide the service's worldwide users with better download rates.

"The maximum aggregate bandwidth of the system will be greater than the current system; this will help us satisfy spikes in demand when there's a big release," Valve said in a statement.

"We will also be able to send content from more places, to better serve people all around the globe. All the content on the new system is sent via HTTP; this is more firewall-friendly than the current system, and will automatically take advantage of web-caching proxies installed at ISPs."

The overhauled Steam will also require users to download less data for game updates. At present, when an individual file on disk is modified it is necessary to download the whole file again, but the new system will be able to deliver only the difference between the old and new versions.

In addition, the new system will be able to download game updates during play, and apply the changes when the user exits the game.

"These changes have given us an opportunity to write new tools for game developers and content publishers that simplify the process of both publishing and updating a game on Steam. Simplifying the publishing process means it takes the partner and us less time to ship each product, so we can ship more stuff to more users."

Valve is also adding a number of new features in response to requests from its clients. New releases will benefit from bandwidth throttling, download scheduling, and users will be able to prioritise which purchases begin downloading first.

Currently, the only content available through the new system is a high-definition trailer, but Valve will apply the system to more content over time, including the forthcoming Dota 2.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...date-for-steam ...

Every series has a heyday, but any belief that Call of Duty’s may have passed can be quickly dismissed.

Retailer GAME has told MCV that pre-orders for this November’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are tracking “significantly” ahead of last year’s Black Ops.

And, of course, Black Ops is a world-record breaking best seller. In fact, GAME predicts MW3 is on track to shatter all UK pre-order records and is likely to become the company’s best selling title ever.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 pre-orders are already tracking significantly ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops at the same time last year,” GAME Group MD Tom Devine stated.

“We know that the Call of Duty brand and franchise has the most amazing fan-base and we’ve got some great surprises lined up for those who pre-order with us. We’re looking forward to an incredible launch on November 8th."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/moder...records/082315 ...

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

A new version of the Doom source port Doom Legacy has been released.


Quote:
FEATURES 1.44 alpha3

Stop demos when menu opens.

Voodoo doll damage effects upon players are restored.

Voodoo doll mode control (Vanilla, Multispawn, Target, Auto).

Voodoo doll telefrag instadeath control (Die, Damage, Zap).

Remove hard limits for brain targets.

Start game menu asks user "Abort this game. Y/N" when user is already in a game, and upon "YES" will abort the game and continue.

Mouse will no longer change menu values without pushing a button.

DoomLegacy demo format will have a header of version 144, and the characters "DL". DoomLegacy demos shall only use the one demo version number.
Three later fields shall record the DoomLegacy VERSION, demoversion, and sub-demoversion numbers. Not yet enabled, alpha still writes demoversion 143.

Changed to MBF style sector friction (from examination of Killough code in prboom), making DoomLegacy more consistent with DoomLegacy 2.0, prboom and
other modern ports, with some fixes and differences. Water friction and Heretic friction are also converted to sector friction. Sectors get the friction and movefactor values at load time, and are updated whenever a flag or friction control changes. Finds stickiest friction on icy sector edge too. Independent friction for each 3dfloor slab. Old boom friction thinker code is compile-time conditional (FRICTIONTHINKER), and is only used for demos. Demos select appropriate friction code.
Did not preserve perfect demo compatibility with Boom and prboom.

Converted to independent player bob momentum of Killough, as in DoomLegacy 2.0,
MBF and prboom, with fixes and adaptations.
Compile-time conditional on BOB_MOM.
Fixes many problems of previous bobbing, such as bobbing while riding conveyor, and interaction with friction.

Monsters use same sector friction as players.
Selection mechanism for monster friction (none, MBF, momentum).
The MBF monster friction only gives the monster momentum on ice, and this creates surge when moving off ice, and stall when moving onto ice.
Momentum monster friction selection accumulates momentum on every move, and fixes the surge and stall problems.
Additional code to prevent hangups on dropoff ledges, get monster unstuck from edges, and to allow monsters to fall off conveyor belts.

Create Adv Options menu, for monster friction, gravity, voodoo mode, voodoo insta-death, and door delay.


FEATURES 1.44 alpha2

Boom demo headers are now recognized and the demos play better.
They will not stay in sync, but will no longer crash the engine.

Revised game description tables now have three wad names for each game type, to recognize more naming variations.

Sprites Limit: Adjust the number of sprites displayed by software renderer from 128 to 16384, depending upon where your machine bogs down.

Removed sprite display limits in software renderer.
The number of displayed sprites is dynamically adjusted according to the sprite count, and the user setting in the Effects menu.
The menu control gives a soft limit from 128, upto 16384 sprites.
The sprite display is hard limited to twice the user setting.
When there are too many sprites, the nearest sprites have preference, the farther sprites have semi-random visibility (they flicker),
so the player can sporatically see the sprites in the distance.

Savegame size is now unlimited, and uses much smaller savegame buffer.

Replaced the odd command line switches for game development with one switch that specifies the gamename.



FEATURES 1.44 alpha1



New Effects menu, makes room for the additional user controls.

Gamma generation: Gamma table is generated from the selected gamma function (Gamma, Gamma_black, Gamma_bright_black, Linear).
The Gamma function has 25 gamma setpoints.
The Gamma_black function has gamma and black level controls.
The Gamma_bright_black function has gamma, black level, and bright level controls.
The Linear function has two setpoint controls, each of which has 25 positions.

Door delay: Option control that slows doors by x1.5, x2, etc. so that player has more time to get through them.

SoftError: Many hard errors (fatal) have been changed to soft errors, where the user will get one message, and the game will be allowed to continue.

Voodoo dolls added. The voodoo doll was an accident of the original Doom, that many wads made use of to trigger linedef actions.
Extra player1 starts now create voodoo dolls, with the last being the actual player1 start position.

Demo fixes. Demos that Legacy cannot play back are now recognized and rejected, so they do not crash the engine.

Z_Malloc allocation compile options, user selectable in z_zone.c.
PLAIN_MALLOC: Large memory, no reclaimation.
TAGGED_MALLOC: Will free allocations according to tags kept in the allocations.
ZONE_ZALLOC: Improved version of original zone allocation. Allocates
from large pre-allocation of memory, with tags, and frees allocations
according to tags.
GROW_ZONE: Option on ZONE_ZALLOC that grows the memory usage when free
blocks cannot ...

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

Curse of Monkey Island (Classic Edition) is a 2d-demake of the classic title from 1997. It is still in a very early stage of development but you can download a new demo version.


Quote:
I have uploaded a new version with all the music, and new art and intro. I hope you all enjoy. sorry that this is so short. As Lavar Burton used to say: "I´ll see you next time"

http://cmioe.blogspot.com/ ...